Dehradun: In a resounding victory, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has captured 10 out of 11 mayoral posts in the Uttarakhand Municipal Corporation elections, leaving the Congress party without a single win. Srinagar mayoral seat was won by independent candidate Aarti Bhandari.
The BJP’s impressive performance extended beyond the municipal corporations, as they also led in the Nagar Palika Parishad and Nagar Panchayats.
BJP’s landslide victory in all 11 municipal corporations
The fate of candidates locked in ballot boxes for 100 municipal bodies, including 11 municipal corporations, has started coming out on Saturday with the start of vote counting. The BJP’s dominance was evident as they secured a landslide victory in all 11 municipal corporations. An independent candidate managed to win in only one corporation, highlighting the BJP’s stronghold.
Saffron flag in all the major cities
The BJP captured mayoral posts in Dehradun, Kashipur, Haridwar, Roorkee, Almora, Pithoragarh, Haldwani, Rishikesh, and Kotdwar. The mayoral post in Srinagar Municipal Corporation went to an independent candidate. The Congress party, on the other hand, failed to open its account in the municipal corporations.
Significant success of the BJP this year
In the previous election held in 2018, the BJP had won five mayoral posts, Congress had won two, and an independent candidate had won one. This year’s election saw a significant increase in the BJP’s success, with the party winning all 11 mayoral posts.
BJP candidate Kalpana Devlal won in Pithoragarh
In the municipal corporations, BJP candidate Kalpana Devlal in Pithoragarh won 9466 votes, defeating her nearest independent rival Monika Mahar by a margin of just 17 votes. BJP’s Ajay Verma won in the Almora Municipal Corporation with 9136 votes, defeating Congress’s Bhairav Goswami by 2573 votes.
Gajraj Bisht secured 71962 votes, won in Haldwani
In Haldwani, BJP’s mayoral candidate Gajraj Bisht secured 71962 votes, defeating Congress’s Lalit Joshi, who received 68068 votes. BJP’s Vikas Sharma emerged victorious in Rudrapur Municipal Corporation with 41836 votes, defeating Congress’s Mohan Kheda, who garnered 32992 votes.
BJP’s Shambhu Paswan won the mayoral post in Rishikesh
BJP’s Shambhu Paswan won the mayoral post in Rishikesh with 23958 votes, defeating his nearest independent rival Dinesh Chandra Master by 2878 votes. In Kotdwar, BJP candidate Shailendra Singh Rawat secured 38173 votes, defeating Congress’s Ranjana Rawat by a margin of 14232 votes for the mayoral post. Independent candidate Aarti Bhandari won the mayor’s post in Srinagar Municipal Corporation with 7959 votes, defeating BJP’s Asha Upadhyay by a margin of 1639 votes.
Following individuals elected as mayors
The final results declared in all the bodies saw the following individuals elected as mayors in the 11 corporations: BJP’s Saurabh Thapliyal in Dehradun, Kiran Jaisal in Haridwar, Deepak Bali in Kashipur, Anita Devi Agarwal in Roorkee, Ajay Verma in Almora, Gajraj Bisht in Haldwani, Kalpana Devlal in Pithoragarh, Shailendra Singh Rawat in Kotdwar, Vikas Sharma in Rudrapur, and Shambhu Paswan in Rishikesh. Independent candidate Aarti Bhandari secured the mayoral post in Srinagar.
This thumping victory underscores the party’s strong organizational capabilities
The BJP’s sweeping victory in the Uttarakhand Municipal Corporation elections underscores the party’s strong organizational capabilities and its ability to connect with the electorate. The Congress party’s failure to secure any mayoral posts highlights the challenges it faces in the region. The success of independent candidates in some areas also indicates a shift in voter preferences, with many seeking alternatives to traditional party candidates.
