Old photo. Used for indicative purpose only
Shimla, April 29
Amid weather turning cooler across Himachal Pradesh in inclement conditions, political temperature are sharply risen as both the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress announced their candidates for the upcoming Municipal Corporation (MC) elections in Dharamshala, Mandi, Solan and Palampur.
The BJP state unit released lists for Palampur and Mandi MCs, naming candidates across multiple wards, including reserved categories for women and Scheduled Castes. The party has attempted a balanced social and political representation in its selection.
Similarly, the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) issued its list for Dharamshala MC, finalised by the Pradesh Election Committee. The list includes candidates for key wards such as Ward 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 15 and 16, reflecting a mix of experienced faces and new entrants.
However, the Dharamshala MC elections have emerged as the most politically volatile battleground. The BJP is facing internal discord over ticket distribution, with multiple aspirants reportedly at odds. The recent political realignment involving , a former Congress leader who shifted allegiance to the BJP, has significantly altered local dynamics.
Political observers note that Sudhir Sharma, who earlier held considerable influence in the Congress setup in Dharamshala, appears reluctant to fully align with the BJP’s candidate selection process. This has led to the emergence of two factions within the saffron party, both keen to assert dominance in the MC polls.
On the other hand, the Congress is attempting to consolidate its base by fielding candidates with local connect, hoping to capitalise on the BJP’s internal friction.
With elections due shortly, all four MCs — Dharamshala, Mandi, Solan and Palampur — are set to witness intense contests. While candidate announcements have formally kickstarted the campaign phase, the real battle now shifts to grassroots mobilisation, where factional unity and voter outreach will determine the outcome.
BJP Candidates for Palampur MC
Ward 1 (Lohana – SC): Subedar Hukum Chand. Ward 3 (Palampur Khas – Women): Smt. Preeti Rana, Ward 4 (Aima – Women): Smt. Anisha Sharma, Ward 5 (Sughur – General): Anil Nag, Ward 6 (Ghuggar Khaddu – Women): Smt. Muneeta Sharma, Ward 7 (Bindravan – Women): Smt. Manju Bala, Ward 8 (Khlet – General): Surendra Thakur, Ward 9 (Chowki – SC Women): Smt. Meenu Devi, Ward 12 (Guggar Tanda – General): Lalit Sharma, Ward 13 (Tanda – SC Women): Smt. Varsha Kumari and Ward 14 (Banuri – Women): Smt. Monika Sharma, Ward 11 (Rajpur): Smt. Krishna Devi and Ward 15 (Holta): Smt. Lata Devi
Mandi MC-Ward 1 (Khalyar – General): Ranvir Singh, Ward 2 (Purani Mandi – Women): Smt. Sarita Handa, Ward 3 (Paddal – Women): Smt. Nirmal Verma, Ward 4 (Nela – Women): Smt. Manju Devi, Ward 5 (Mangwai – Women): Smt. Krishna Thakur, Ward 6 (Sanyard – SC): Virendra Singh Arya, Ward 7 (Talyaad – General): Jitendra Singh, Ward 8 (Palace Colony-1 – Women): Smt. Gurdeep Kaur, Ward 9 (Palace Colony-2 – General): Smt. Suman Thakur, Ward 10 (Suhra – SC Women): Smt. Neha Kumari, Ward 11 (Samkhetar – General): Jitendra Sharma, Ward 12 (Bhagwahan – General): Gagan Kashyap, Ward 13 (Thaneda – Women): Smt. Rajni Sharma, Ward 14 (Behna – SC): Gurbachan Singh, Ward 15 (Dohandi – SC Women): Smt. Rita Devi.
MC Dharamshala – BJP
Rekha Devi (Forsythganj), Shamsher Nehria (Bhagsunag), Asha Devi (McLeodganj), Neha Sangal (Kashmir House), Aruna Kumari (Khadanchi Mohalla), Karishma Chhetri (Kotwali Bazaar), Prerna Guleria (Khel Parisar), Raj Chaudhary (Sakoh), Amit Bhardwaj (Shyam Nagar), Anish Kumar (Ramnagar), Meena Kumari (Badol), Harsh Oberoi (Dari), Shekhar Anand (Kandi), Praveen Prakash (Khaniyara), Anupam Katoc (Sidhpur) and Vishal Jawal (Sidhbari).
Cong Candidates-Dharamshala MC, Ward 4 (Women): Smt. Neenu Sharma (W/o Ashok Kumar), Ward 5 (SC Women): Shailza (D/o Dharam Chand), Ward 6 (Women): Smt. Babita Oberoi (W/o Ajinder Singh), Ward 10 (Open): Sudesh Kumar (S/o Kishori Lal), Ward 11 (Open): Anurag (S/o Late Satya Dev), Ward 12 (ST Women): Smt. Swarna Devi (W/o Sunil Kumar), Ward 15 (SC): Rajni (D/o Jhonfi Ram), Ward 16 (Women): Smt. Babita Sharma (W/o Naveen Kumar.
BJP from Solan Muncipal Corporation
Ward 1 (Deonghat Saproon – Women): Smt. Neelam Kumari, Ward 2 (Railway Station – General): Smt. Sushma Sharma, Ward 3 (Kather – General): Deepak Jindal, Ward 4 (Chambaghat Salogra – General): Mohit Maharaj, Ward 5 (Lower Bazar – Women): Smt. Priyanka, Ward 6 (Jawahar Park – Women): Smt. Rekha Sahni, Ward 8 (Shilli Road – SC): Surendra Kumar, Ward 9 (Madhuban Colony – Women): Smt. Nisha Sharma, Ward 10 (Chawki Ghat – General): Virendra Sood, Ward 11 (Degree College – Women): Smt. Sarita Thakur, Ward 12 (Sunny Side – General): Smt. Priyanka Agrawal, Ward 13 (Kalain – SC): Smt. Meena Anand, Ward 14 (Housing Board – Women): Smt. Meena Kumari Ward 15 (Tehsil Patwar – General): Abhishek Thakur, Ward 16 (Khara Aaji – SC Women): Smt. Seema Devi, Ward 17 (Basal Patti Kathar – Women): Smt. Taruna Sharma
On the first day of nomination filing, a total of 155 candidates submitted their papers across 51 urban local bodies in Himachal Pradesh. Mandi: 34, nominations, Bilaspur: 16, Chamba: 12, Hamirpur: 0, Kangra: 22, Kullu: 23, Shimla: 14, Sirmaur: 12, Solan: 11 and Una: 11.
Authorities confirmed that nominations for Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats would continue on April 30 and May 2, providing additional opportunity for candidates to file papers.
Currently Congress is in power at Shimla, Solan, Palampur and BJP in Mandi, in Dharmshala BJP and Congress are holding one each post Mayrol.
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