The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has regained control of the Kullu Zila Parishad after a gap of 23 years, following the election of the Parishad’s President and Vice President held on Thursday at the District Council Building in Dhalpur.
BJP-backed member Thakur Das from the Vashisht ward was elected President, while Neena Joshi from the Bro ward in Ani was chosen as Vice President. The elections were conducted nearly one and a half months after the Zila Parishad polls. In the election for the President’s post, BJP candidate Thakur Das secured 10 votes, defeating Congress candidate Praveen Thakur, who received 4 votes. For the Vice President’s post, BJP’s Neena Joshi also emerged victorious with 10 votes, while Congress candidate Dr. Sunil Kumar managed 4 votes. Following the results, Deputy Commissioner Anurag Chandra administered the oath of office to the newly elected President and Vice President. Former Minister Govind Singh Thakur, BJP Kullu District President Amit Sood, and several senior BJP leaders were present during the ceremony.
The 14-member Kullu Zila Parishad currently comprises 9 BJP members, 4 Congress members, and 1 Independent member, giving the BJP a clear majority. Earlier, the election for the top posts had been postponed after the required quorum was not met. The administration later rescheduled the election for July 16, when all members attended, allowing the voting process to be completed successfully. Expressing gratitude after his victory, newly elected President Thakur Das thanked the BJP leadership and fellow councillors for their support. He said his priority would be to raise the issues of rural areas in Kullu before the government and work closely with the administration to ensure their timely resolution.
Reacting to the outcome, former Minister Govind Singh Thakur alleged that the Congress government had attempted to delay both the Panchayati Raj elections and the election of the Zila Parishad’s President and Vice President. He claimed that the BJP has continued to secure majorities in both Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies, adding that the party has now successfully taken charge of the Kullu Zila Parishad as well.
Sachin Sharma
