The State Election Commission (SEC) of Himachal Pradesh is all set to declare the results for the 51 urban local bodies (UBLs) for which the polling was held in the Himalayan state on Sunday. The polling, which started at 7 am and continued till 3 pm, was conducted on four Municipal Corporations, 25 Municipal Councils and 22 Nagar Panchayats of the state.
The counting of votes started immediately after the polling concluded and the results will likely be out till the evening. However, the poll body will only declare results for 229 wards of the Municipal Councils and 156 wards of the Nagar Panchayats, and the counting of votes for the 64 wards of the Municipal Corporations will be held on May 31.
These elections are considered as a litmus test for the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2027 assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh. While the Congress is looking to further consolidate its position in the state, the local body elections would give the BJP a chance to make a comeback in Himachal Pradesh after losing the power in the 2022 assembly polls.
However, it is worth noting that candidates contested on party symbols only in the four Municipal Corporations: Dharamshala, Solan, Mandi, and Palampur. The Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayat polls were not held on party symbols.
