Seema Chaudhary takes charge as Kangra Zila Parishad Chairperson

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Dharamshala, July 20

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken control of the Kangra Zila Parishad, with Seema Chaudhary elected unopposed as chairperson and Abhimanyu Kanwar as deputy chairperson. The election process was conducted under the supervision of Kangra Deputy Commissioner, Hemraj Bairwa.

The elections for the two top posts were held on Monday, around 50 days after the Zila Parishad election results were declared on May 30th. Kangra, the state’s largest district council, has 54 elected members. A minimum quorum of 36 councillors were required for the election, while 39 members were present, allowing the process to proceed smoothly.

Congress councillors stayed away from the election, while senior BJP leaders from the district attended the proceedings.

Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa said only one nomination was received for each post, making voting unnecessary.

“One nomination was received each for the posts of  the chairperson and the deputy chairperson. Therefore, there was no need to conduct polling, and both candidates were declared elected in accordance with the rules,” Bairwa said. He added that the required quorum was achieved with the presence of 39 councillors.

Newly elected chairperson, Seema Chaudhary thanked the BJP for entrusting her with the responsibility and pledged to discharge her duties diligently.

“I will make every effort to fulfill the responsibility entrusted to me. We will collectively face all the challenges, prioritise resolving public grievances, and work together for the district’s development. The budget allocated to the Zila Parishad will be utilised on the priority basis,” she said.

Deputy chairperson Abhimanyu Kanwar thanked BJP and independent councillors for their support.

“I express my gratitude to the BJP and independent councillors who supported me. All 54 councillors will move forward as one family and work together to resolve the public issues. I will remain committed to serving the people and ensuring that they do not face unnecessary difficulties,” Kanwar said.

Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma alleged that the state government had delayed fixing the election date and claimed the BJP had secured a clear majority despite their efforts.

“The government’s tactics did not succeed. BJP chairpersons and deputy chairpersons have been elected in nine Zila Parishads across the state. The developments show how the state government wanted to manipulate the Panchayati Raj system. Congress believed the BJP would not secure a majority, but the party won with full support,” Sharma said.

Senior BJP leader and Sulah MLA Vipin Singh Parmar said  that the Kangra result reflected the party’s wider performance across Himachal Pradesh.

He said elections were held in 10 of the state’s 12 district councils, with the BJP securing both the chairperson and deputy chairperson posts in 9 districts, while the Congress won only 1.