Anurag Kumar
Despite a sluggish start and rainy conditions, 58.66% of electors in Shimla turned out to elect the new municipal corporation (MC) despite the inclement weather.
Of the total 49,760 male electors, 29,504 (or 59.29%) were present at the polling stations. Similarly, 58.6% of the 44,160 registered female voters, or 25,881 individuals, exercised their right to vote.
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh, along with his wife Kamlesh and two daughters, voted at the Central Tibetan School polling station in Chomta Shimla. Sukhu, a three-time councillor from Chotta Shimla ward prior to his election to the Vidhan Sabha from Naduan, struck an emotional chord on his journey to the school, where he met with shopkeepers and drank tea at a stall.
Education minister Rohit Thakur and Neeraj Nayyar Chamba, as well as legislator Neeraj Nayyar, and Congress candidate Surrender Chauhan, a close assistant, also accompanied him.
“It’s a pleasure to vote for a man who used to paste my posters on the wall,” Sukhu reminisced, recalling his youth. “I used to frequent stores with my acquaintances.
In the meantime, former Union Minister Anand Sharma voted in his native Bharari constituency.
In the meantime, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) raised significant questions about the voting of Congress leaders. “Sukhu has also contested elections from Naduan, so why should he vote from Shimla now?” asked Suresh Bhardwaj, a former urban development minister and four-time lawmaker.
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Additionally, the BJP questioned the use of electronic voting machines (EVM) in the Chotta Shimla ward. Former CM and opposition leader Jai Ram Thakur commented on the matter, stating, “To win the election at any cost, the Congress has now resorted to hooliganism.”
Thakur alleged irregularities in the Chotta Shimla and Kangnadhar constituencies, adding, “I’ve brought this matter to the attention of the state election commissioner and am awaiting his response.”
In the meantime, the state president of the BJP, Rajeev Bindal, shared a screenshot of the state election commission’s website purportedly displaying a reordering of candidates in one of the divisions.
Aditya Negi, deputy commissioner of Shimla, stated regarding the election, “In general, the election was peaceful; there were no violent incidents.” Voting was delayed by rain in the morning, but picked up in the evening.”
There are 102 candidates vying for election. There are 93,920 registered electors in Shimla’s 34 wards.
