A little over 90,000 voters will decide the fate of 102 candidates from 34 wards in the Shimla Municipal Corporation elections to be held on Tuesday.
The results of the elections being held on party symbols will be announced on Thursday.
According to the State Election Commission data, 93,920 voters are registered to exercise their franchise in the election. These include 49,759 male and 44,161 female voters in 153 polling stations.
Vikas Nagar ward has the highest number of voters at 4,161 while Malyana has the least number of voters at 1,166.
During the election campaign, the contesting parties have made tall promises to the voters. From highways to skywalks and parks to parking lots, the parties made a lot of promises during roadshows, street meetings and door-to-door campaigns.
The Congress has promised to implement policies for regularization of multi-storeyed buildings and uniform tax regime for both old and merged areas, ropeway system and allowing non-agriculturists settled in Shimla before 1971 to build houses.
The BJP, on the other hand, has promised 40,000 liters of free water a month to every household and a ‘one corporation, one tax’ policy that will unify taxes for households, garbage and sewerage for the convenience of citizens. It has also promised a 50 per cent discount on garbage bills.
According to the voters, the major election issues are 24×7 water supply, new parking facilities, widening of roads and controlling the drug menace. All major parties have promised to make Shimla green and drug free and solve the traffic problem by creating parking lots.
While the BJP has been taking credit for development works including construction of skywalks and tunnels under the Shimla Smart City project, the Congress has alleged corruption in its use.
The Shimla Municipal Corporation elections are crucial for both the Congress and the BJP.
The Congress, which came to power in Himachal Pradesh in December, will seek to consolidate its political hold by regaining control of the civic body in the state capital. The BJP, which rules the outgoing municipal board, is viewing the elections as a battle of prestige.
Of the 34 wards of the civic body, 50 per cent wards are reserved for women. Six wards are reserved for Scheduled Castes, including three for women. The remaining 14 wards are unreserved.
The BJP and the Congress have fielded women candidates from 23 and 18 wards, respectively.
While both the BJP and the Congress have fielded candidates from all 34 wards, the AAP and CPI(M) candidates are contesting on 21 and four seats, respectively.
There will be a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress on ten seats. Nine independents, including Congress rebel and former Shimla mayor Sohan Lal from Krishnanagar and former BJP leader Aarti Chauhan from Engine Ghar, are also in the fray.
The Shimla Municipal Corporation constitutes the areas of three assembly constituencies – Shimla (Urban), Shimla (Rural) and Kusumpti. All three regions are currently represented by Congress MLAs, two of whom are ministers in Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu’s cabinet.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur and other top leaders held roadshows and rallies for BJP candidates, while Sukhu, his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee chief Pratibha Singh and several state cabinet ministers attended party meetings. led the campaign of Sukhu has earlier been a corporator in the Shimla Municipal Corporation.
In the 2017 elections, the BJP wrested the civic body from the Congress by winning 17 wards for the first time in 32 years. Congress won 12 wards, CPI(M) one and Independents four.
The civic body’s five-year term ends in June 2022, but elections have been delayed by 11 months.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)