Solan, December 24
The Congress-backed candidates won 10 seats out of the 17 Zila Parishad seats in the district while the BJP-backed candidates could win only five. The CPI also managed to open its account bagging the lone seat of Manjholi Rajpura in Nalagarh subdivision though the Congressmen claim she was their party-backed candidate.

In a virtual embarrassment to the Chief Minister, his close relative Arun Sen lost to the BJP’s Laj Kishore Sharma from the Garkhal-Kasauli ward by over 2,300 votes.

The focus has now shifted to capturing the seat of the coveted Zila Parishad Chairman. While the Congress has established its stronghold in Nalagarh subdivision by capturing six seats out of the seven seats. The partymen of the area are optimistic of winning the crucial Zila Parishad seat for the subdivision. Similar sentiments are being echoed by the fellow Congressmen from Kandaghat.

The prominent Congress winners included the district Congress committee’s president Shanti Pundir from Anji ward. Other winners included Dharampal from Dhundan ward, Ramesh Thakur from Sirinagar, Jayanti Pawar from Dharampur, Ram Kumar from Barotiwala, Bagga Ram from Khera, Bagga Ram from Ratwari, Gomti Devi from Kunihaar, Nandlal from Chamdhar, Harmesh Chand from Kundlu and Ram from Darla.

Nahan: About 400 activists of the BJP candidate, Mr Balbir Singh, from Kamrou ward of Zila Parishad in Sirmaur district took out protest march, blocked traffic on the Dehra Dun-Shimla highway for about an hour and gheraoed the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate at Paonta for several hours to protest against alleged irregularities in counting.

The demonstrators raised slogans against the SDM, local Congress leaders and the government for declaring Balbir Singh defeated after several rounds of counting and recounting.

Sundernagar: The BJP has won all the four Zila Parishad seats and 16 seats out of 27 panchayat samiti members in panchayat elections.

In Zila Parishad, Mahadev Ward, Mr Ved Sharma (BJP) defeated Mr Tek Singh Raghwa (Congress) with a margin of 3,227 votes, Mr Roop Lal (BJP) was elected from Chambi ward.

From Dehar ward, Mr Karm Singh was elected and in Slapper ward, Mr Devinder Kumar was elected.

According to Mr Dile Ram, President of the District Unit of the BJP, said the verdict was against the policies of the Congress government.

The counting was started yesterday morning. The results of panchayat samitis were declared first and the result of Zila Parishad were declared later.

Kulu: About 74 per cent polling was reported from all the four urban areas Kulu, Manali, Bhuntar and Banjar elections in this district on Saturday. The polling in all wards was about 80 per cent.

The followings were declared elected from Kulu: Ward No. 1. Mr Ram Singh. 2. Mr G.S. Babbu. 3. Mr Sumer Nath Awasthi. 4. Mr Vinay Sharma 5. Mr Kamal Nain 6. Ms Raj Kalia. 7. Ms Jamuna Devi. 8. Mr Sonam Gyamjo. 9. Ms Banto Devi (Unopposed). 10. Ms Urmila Devi and 11. Mr Gopal Krishan Mahant.

Manali Nagar Panchayat: Mr Yog Raj. 2. Mr Chaman Lal. 3. Ms Indira Sharma. 4. Mr Vijay. 5. Mr Anil. 6. Mr Naveen and 7. Ms Pushpa Devi.

Banjar: 1. Ms Gita Dass. 2. Mr Yagya Chand. 3. Ms Anmol Kumar. 4. Ms Saroj Sharma. 5. Mr Arun Sharma. 6. Mr Vinod Gupta 7. Mr Vijay Thakur.

Bhuntar: 1. Ms Meena Kumari. 2. Mr Baljit Dogra. 3. Mr Anil Sood. 4. Ms Khimi Devi. 5. Mr Rakesh Sood.

Meanwhile, the Panchayati Raj elections in this district had given jolts to senior leaders. Ms Ulfat Dass, wife of a former minister, and sitting MLA from Ani Assembly constituency lost her Zila Parishad election, Ms Bimla Thakur wife of Satya Prakash Thakur, a former minister, state general secretary of the HPPCC and Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Marketing Committee lost to an Independent in the elections, Mr Budhi Singh Thakur, the sitting Chairman of the Zila Parishad and a close lieutenant of Mr Virbhadra Singh lost his seat in the elections and Mr Alam Chand, a former BJP district president, lost in the elections.

Mandi: In the 13-member Mandi Municipal Council (MMC) elections held here on Saturday voters re-elected most of the sitting councillors, a majority of them pro-Congress. The BJP also cut a sorry figure in Jogindernagar Municipal Committee elections.

Mr Anand Behal, a pro-Congress candidate, has been re-elected from ward No. 1 and is a contender for the post of the MMC chairman among Congress councillors. Ms Sarita Handa won from ward No. 2.

Mr H.R. Vaidya, the BJP has been re-elected from ward No. 10.

Ms Sushila Sonkhla, president of the MMC, was re-elected from the ward No. 6.

Mr Gagan Kashyap, a pro-BJP councillor, has been re-elected from ward No. 9.

In ward No. 13, former MMC president Pushp Raj, a pro-Congress councillor, won.

Mr Anil Kapur was re-elected from ward No. 8, while Ms Asha Chopra won from ward No. 7.

In the Jogindernagar MC elections, Mr Ramesh Sud was re-elected, from while Mr P.R. Dogra won from ward No. 2 (reserved).

Mr Rajiv (ward No. 3), Ms Sushama Behal (ward NO. 4) Mr Om Parkash (ward No. 6), Mr Bhag Chand (ward No. 5) and Ms Nirmla Devi (ward 7), are new faces in the House.

Una: Pareen Kumari from Lalari ward, Rajinder Singh from Raipur Sahoran and Kewal Ram from Palkwah ward were declared elected. With this, tally of the Congress in the Zila Parshad has increased to 6 and the BJP tally has increased to 10. One independent has also won.

Una MC: Ward-1 Jaswinder Kaur, Ward-2 Navdeep Kashupa, ward-3 Amarjit Bedi, ward-4 Shiv Kumar Saini, ward-5 Janak Raj, ward-6 Vinod Kumar, ward-7 Surinder Kaur, ward-8 Mathura Devi, ward-9 Mamta Kashyap, ward-10 Sarabjot Singh Bedi, ward-11 Surjit Singh.

Mehatpur Nagar Panchayat: Ward-1 Sanjay Kumar, ward-2 Pawan Kumar, ward-3 Harish Kumar, ward-4 Sudha Kumari, ward-5 Kulwinder Kaur, ward-6 Banti Devi, ward-7 Raj Pal, ward-8 Nishan Singh, ward-9 Balwinder.

Daulatpur Chowk Nagar Panchayat: Ward-1 Pardeep Kumar, ward-2 Capt Sri Ram (retd.), ward-3 Bhupinder Kumar, ward-4 Veena Kumari, ward-5 Battan Chand, ward-6 Satish Kumar, ward-7 Devaki Kanwar.

Shimla, December 24
Several important events caused ripples in the state politics during 2005 which brought misfortune to many politicians.

The year began on a wrong note for the ruling Congress when Mrs Asha Kumari, a senior leader, was forced to quit as Education Minister, after a Chamba court framed charges against her in a case of alleged land-grab. It ended in embarrassment for the rival BJP when its lone member of Parliament from the state, Mr Suresh Chandel, was caught in the “cash on camera” sting operation.

In between, all 12 chief parliamentary secretaries and parliamentary secretaries lost their jobs as the state high court quashed their appointments as unconstitutional ab initio. There was no end to their woes even after resigning as the BJP filed a petition urging the Governor, Mr V.S.Kokje, to disqualify them for holding an office of profit in violation of the constitutional provisions. Acting on the petition, the Governor last month issued notices to all 12 legislators who have sought time to file their replies. The matter will be ultimately decided by the Central Election Commission.

The politically eventful year also saw a change in the organisational set-up of the Congress with Mrs Viplove Thakur of the anti-Virbhadra Singh camp taking over as the PCC chief. By appointing her to the top party post, the high command made it clear that it was serious about maintaining factional balance in the state unit. This became further evident when Major Vijay Singh Mankotia and Mr Kewal Pathania, both former ministers who openly came out against the leadership of Mr Virbhadra Singh , were made members of the AICC from the state.

The BJP attacked the Congress on the issue of corruption and its Kangra district unit exploited the issue of “Mumbai musical blast” to the hilt to put Mr G.S.Bali, Transport Minister, in a spot. However, Major Mankotia caused more embarrassment to his own party government than the BJP by accusing Mr Virbhadra Singh of handing out a stepmotherly treatment to lower areas, particularly Kangra district. Mr Virbhadra Singh took the steam out of the campaign by announcing to hold the winter session of the Vidhan Sabha at Dharamsala.

Nahan, December 24
Around 400 supporters of Balbir Singh, a BJP-supported candidate from Kamrou ward of Sirmour zila parishad took out a protest march in Paonta market and gheraoed office of the SDM. Paonta, Mr CP Verma, alleging the mass irregularities in the counting of votes by SDM, Paonta.

Protesters blocked Dehra Dun-Shimla highway for over one hour and also gheraoed Naib Tehsildar, Kamrou outside the SDM’s office.

Protesters shouted slogans against the state government, MLA of Shillai and SDM, Paonta, and alleged that their candidate was declared winner at 4.30 p.m. yesterday but after the intervention of the local MLA, their candidate Balbir Singh was declared loser by one vote after a so-called exercise of “several recounting” for over six hours under a “conspiracy hatched in connivance with the political bosses by the returning officer.”

Hundreds of protesters sat on a dharna in front of office of SDM, Paonta, under the leadership of BJP leaders of Shillai area and demanded ‘justice’.

In a complaint to the state Election Commissioner, Shimla, copies of which were made available to the press also, Balbir Singh, BJP-supported candidate, said that he was declared winner by the Returning Officer, (SDM, Paonta) Mr C.P. Verma, with a margin of 57 votes at 4.30 pm yesterday. His opponent, Congress supported candidate, Mr Sher Singh Negi, congratulated him and left the counting hall alongwith his supporters.

Mr Balbir Singh alleged that later when they were about to leave the counting Hall, SDM, Paonta, under the influence and pressure of the local MLA of Shillai constituency rang up Sher Singh Negi on his mobile and called him to counting hall and asked him to submit an application for recounting.

He alleged that SDM recounted votes several times and allegedly received several mobile calls from his political bosses during the recounting for around six hours. After that the Congress-supported candidate Sher Singh Negi was declared winner with one vote.