Panchayat Elections: BJP Bets on Grassroots Strength, Announces Zila Parishad Candidates Statewide
Shimla: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal Pradesh has announced a comprehensive list of its supported candidates for the upcoming Zila Parishad (District Council) elections under the Panchayati Raj Institutions framework.
In a press statement, State Election Convener Vipin Singh Parmar announced that the party has decided to field its authorised candidates despite the elections not being contested on party symbols. BJP leaders said the selection process gave priority to organisational loyalty, public service experience, regional balance, and local acceptability. In contrast, the Indian National Congress has chosen not to field official candidates, allowing individuals to contest independently.
In the Mahasu organisational district, the BJP has named candidates, including Vikesh from Ghorna, Rekha from Tyawal-Jubari, Mamta Azad from Jhakri, Shivram from Neran, and Neha Thakur from Tiyali, among others, covering multiple wards across the region.
In Kangra district, candidates such as Om Sharma from Chari, Bindu from Mantrayan, and Satish Chaudhary from Jhikli Itti have been fielded. Similarly, in Kullu, nominees include Thakur Das from Vashisht, Kamlesh Kumari from Jetha, and Nisha Thakur from Mohal.
The Nurpur organisational district list features candidates like Anoop Rana from Bhadwar, Ajay Singh from Baranda, and Abhimanyu Kanwar from Sheikhpur. In Bilaspur, BJP has declared candidates for 13 wards, including Jamna Devi from Ghandalvi, Jarnail Singh from Rohal, and Lekhram Thakur from Jukhala, while the Badgaon ward candidate is yet to be announced.
In Hamirpur, the party has released names for 19 wards, including Tripta Devi from Bir Baghera, Ajay Sharma from Jahu, and Neelam Chaudhary from Saproh.
For Chamba district, candidates include Sunita Kumari from Kariyas, Jaswant Singh from Sanwal, and Natasha Jaryal from Vyana. In Solan, nominees such as Meenakshi Thakur from Darla, Kirpal Chand from Dharampur, and Gurpreet Kaur Chandel from Damota have been announced.
In Sirmaur, BJP has fielded Hansraj from Nohradhar, Ankita Thakur from Danaghato, and Charanjit Singh from Pataliyon. The Dehra organisational district list includes Ashok Kumar from Barakalan and Aarti Rana from Adhwani.
In Una, candidates include Pawan Jeet Singh from Mubarakpur, Anita Devi from Lathiani, and Gurmukh Singh from Bhanjal Lower. In the tribal districts, names such as Rub Devi from Udaipur (Lahaul-Spiti) and Jambal Dorje from Pooh (Kinnaur) have been declared.
Mandi district candidates include Kehar Singh Chauhan from Bhagayad and Sanjay Rawat from Behal. In Palampur organisational district, nominees include Jagatsa Devi from Gadhiyara and Arjun Singh from Nachhir Bandla. Meanwhile, Sundernagar organisational district candidates include Kamal Singh Thakur from Sanvidhar and Shakuntala Devi from Churag.
Party leaders said the extensive consultation process aimed to ensure grassroots representation and strengthen organisational presence in local governance bodies. The District Council elections are expected to witness direct contests between BJP-backed candidates and independents across Himachal Pradesh.
