Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 11 (ANI): The BJP-backed candidates Bhupender Sisodiya and Bharat Klanta were elected Chairman and Vice-Chairman, respectively, of the Shimla Zila Parishad on Thursday, with the party hailing the outcome as a major political setback for the ruling Congress ahead of the 2027 Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections.
The BJP said its candidates had succeeded in taking control of the Shimla Zila Parishad after nearly two decades, describing the victory as an indication of changing political equations in the district, traditionally considered a stronghold of the Congress.
Newly elected Zila Parishad Chairman Bhupender Sisodiya thanked the people of Shimla district for supporting the BJP-backed candidates and assured that the new leadership would work to fulfil the confidence placed in it.
"Thank you very much. The Zila Parishad election was being delayed by the government. All 13 of us went to the Hon'ble High Court, and it was the High Court that fixed the date. Otherwise, even after six months, the election may not have taken place. There was a complete attempt to suppress Panchayati Raj.
"Today, everyone has realised that if the Panchayati Raj elections were delayed, they did not even have enough candidates of their own, despite the claims they were making.
"Congress has failed, the government has failed, and it has failed among the people. You can see it yourself. We were first made to wait for three months. We have seen how every effort was made to delay the elections and suppress Panchayati Raj. Now that we have got this time, we will discharge our responsibilities properly and work together. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the people of my 17 wards, to all our leaders and to all the Zila Parishad members. I thank everyone wholeheartedly," he said.
Sisodiya also said the outcome would have implications for the next Assembly elections and indicated that the BJP would seek to consolidate the momentum generated by the Zila Parishad victory.
He said the newly elected members would prioritise public issues and take up people's grievances with the state government.
"Our priority will be the problems of the people, the issues with which we went among the public. We will fight for those issues. We will also speak to the government regarding the problems of the people. The public knows everything, and what the people feel is visible," he said.
Vice-Chairman Bharat Klanta said the BJP's return to prominence in the district after the 2021 local-body elections and its performance in the 2026 Panchayati Raj elections should be seen as an indication of the political mood in Himachal Pradesh.
He alleged that the Congress government had delayed the Panchayati Raj elections and said the BJP had to approach the High Court to secure the conduct of the polls.
"After 2021, the BJP has made a comeback in 2026, and that too with a good majority. Shimla district was considered a stronghold of the Congress, but it has been wiped out here. We had to go to court to get the Panchayati Raj elections conducted. We waited for 100 days, hoping that our democratic rights would be given to us. The Sukhu government did not give us those rights; the court did. After the court's intervention, the voting took place, and we won a resounding victory. This is an indication of what is going to happen in Himachal Pradesh in the coming period," Klanta said.
"The BJP will return to power in Himachal Pradesh, but it will come with a massive majority. You will see the result in 2027. The BJP will win all the seats in Shimla district as well. The false dreams that they have been nurturing will be destroyed. The people now know what is right and what is wrong," he added.
Klanta also attacked the state government over unemployment, finances, administrative functioning and the situation of government employees, alleging that the Congress government had failed to address priority sectors.
"Priority sectors include PWD, education and unemployment. What have they done with these sectors? What about the youth? What about children, elderly people and women? They made several promises before coming to power, but the atmosphere created because of those promises has now been exposed," he said.
Klanta further alleged that the state government was indulging in "FIR politics" and creating a "police state" in Himachal Pradesh.
"I have been in politics for 50 years and have seen governments come and go. I have never seen such a bad situation in the state," he said.
He said the BJP's victory in the Zila Parishad election had marked the beginning of the electoral battle for 2027.
BJP MP Harsh Mahajan said the BJP had succeeded in getting its supported candidates elected to the two top posts of the Shimla Zila Parishad after around 20 years.
"Today, after 20 years, the Bharatiya Janata Party has succeeded in making its supported candidates the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Zila Parishad. I express my gratitude to the people of Shimla district who placed their trust in the Bharatiya Janata Party and elected BJP-supported candidates as Chairman and Vice-Chairman. I assure you that in the coming time, the Bharatiya Janata Party and all the Zila Parishad members will try their best to live up to the confidence that you have placed in us," Mahajan said.
"This is a victory for democracy, for the policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party and for the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The people of the country have given the BJP a third consecutive opportunity to form the government at the Centre, and in 2027 the BJP will form the government in Himachal Pradesh with a clear two-thirds majority," he added.
Mahajan alleged that the Congress was reluctant to hold the Panchayati Raj elections because it feared defeat.
"You all know that the Congress knew it would lose and therefore did not want to hold the elections. In around 80 per cent of the Panchayati Raj bodies, BJP-supported candidates won across Himachal Pradesh. They knew what the situation was in Shimla, but they were under the impression that they could somehow manipulate things and create a majority for themselves. Ultimately, the BJP had to approach the High Court. The High Court fixed the date, and today it is clear who has the support of the people. The BJP has shown Congress its place," he said.
Mahajan said the BJP was confident of winning a two-thirds majority if Assembly elections were held immediately.
"There is no challenge. Hold the elections today, and the BJP will win with a two-thirds majority. This is an opportunity for a double-engine government," he said.
BJP MP Sikender Kumar said the party's priority after taking charge of the Zila Parishad would be to raise issues affecting ordinary people and work collectively with the elected members.
He said the BJP-backed leadership would focus on people's problems and take them up with the state government.
The BJP's takeover of the Shimla Zila Parishad comes amid heightened political activity in Himachal Pradesh ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. The Panchayati Raj elections had faced delays, with the conduct of the elections subsequently becoming the subject of litigation before the Himachal Pradesh High Court.
The BJP has been projecting its performance in the Panchayati Raj institutions as an indication of growing support for the party in the state and is seeking to use the outcome to build momentum for the next Assembly polls.
The Congress government, meanwhile, has maintained its focus on governance and development and is likely to face an increasingly aggressive BJP campaign as the 2027 elections approach. (ANI)
BJP-backed candidates win Shimla Zila Parishad top posts; Mahajan predicts two-thirds BJP majority in 2027
