In a major jolt to the ruling Congress party in Himachal Pradesh the BJP won three Municipal Corporations (MCs) out of four MCs, after declaration of results on Sunday.
A morale booster to the BJP before the Assembly election the party won the Mandi, Dharamshala and Solan municipal corporation elections, while the Congress has retained control of Palampur Municipal Corporation, being termed as a semi-final before next Assembly election due in the state in 2027.
The elections to the four urban local bodies were held on May 17, and the results were declared on Sunday (May 31, 2026).
The win for BJP is quite significant as the election for Municipal Corporations were conducted on party symbols, while elections of other Urban Local bodies and Panchayati Raj Institutions were held on non –party symbols.
The BJP retained the Mandi Municipal Corporation and wrested the Dharamshala and Solan Municipal Corporations from Congress and Congress retained the Palampur MC.
In Mandi BJP candidates won in 12 out of 14 wards, which went to polls and a lone Congress candidate and a rebel Congress candidate won as an Independent candidate.
In Solan the BJP managed to win 10 out of 17 seats, followed by Congress with six seats, and one seat was bagged by an Independent.
In the Dharamshala Municipal Corporation, the BJP won 11 seats, the Congress won five seats, and one seat went to an Independent.
The Congress emerged victorious in Palampur, retaining control by winning 11 out of 15 wards, while the BJP scored victory in four seats.
Addressing the media in Shimla, BJP State president Rajiv Bindal said,” The results from the four urban local bodies clearly indicate that the people of the State have completely rejected the Congress Government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu”.
