HP: Congress Sweep in Shimla Municipal Polls a Vote for Good Governance, Says CM
Image Courtesy: Twitter @RahulGandhi
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said people voted for the Congress in the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) polls because of the party’s good governance in the state in the past five months.
The Congress won 24 of the 34 wards in the SMC. The BJP won nine wards and CPI(M) one, while the AAP, which had contested on 21 wards, drew a blank.
Addressing a press conference, Sukhu thanked the people of the capital city for voting for the Congress.
“We are here to bring positive change in the system and not to enjoy power. We would work with “Seva Bhav”,” Sukhu said, adding the development of Shimla city would be the top priority.
He said the BJP had postponed the SMC elections for almost 11 months to escape defeat.
The Congress has implemented the old pension scheme for the employees and also gave Rs 1,500 per month to 2.40 lakh women in the age group of 18 to 60 as promised in the party manifesto released ahead of the assembly polls, the chief minister said.
Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh accompanied Sukhu at the press conference.
Former chief minister and leader of opposition Jairam Thakur said he accepts the verdict of the people. However, he accused the Congress of influencing the SMC polls.
Thakur alleged that people living outside Shimla were made to cast votes in the civic polls. This mandate is not purely of the people living in Shimla, he added.
In the 2017 SMC elections, the BJP had wrested the civic body from the Congress for the first time in 32 years, winning 17 wards. The Congress had won 12 wards, the CPI-M one and the rest four wards were captured by independent candidates.
The implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) was a major factor in favour of the Congress as the SMC has the highest number of government employees.
Himachal Congress chief Pratibha Singh said the impressive performance of the Congress in SMC polls was the beginning of victory for the party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
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