The upcoming urban local body elections in Himachal Pradesh, scheduled alongside the rural body polls, are far more than a routine exercise. The elections to four key Municipal Corporations – Solan, Mandi, Palampur and Dharamshala – could be an early political barometer ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

For both the ruling Congress and the principal Opposition BJP, the outcome of these elections carries significance well beyond municipal governance.

The elections in four municipal corporations, along with 25 municipal councils and 22 nagar panchayats, will be held on May 17 with results on May 31, while about 3,754 gram panchayats of the total 3,758 will go to polls in three phases on May 26, May 28 and May 30. Campaigning for the urban local body election ended Friday, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu holding a major rally for the Congress in Solan. For municipal councils and nagar and gram panchayats, results will be declared on voting day.

In 2021, when the previous municipal corporation elections were held, the Congress had won a majority of the seats in three corporations – Solan, Palampur and Dharamshala – while the BJP had secured a majority in Mandi. Of these corporations, it was in Dharamshala where the BJP had inducted Independent councillors into its fold. Notably, at the time, the BJP was in power under CM Jai Ram Thakur.

The Congress government, in power since December 2022, has been facing growing political and administrative challenges. A prolonged financial crunch, mounting government employee discontent, delayed developmental works and allegations of favouritism toward some leaders may have created discontent among sections of people as well as the ruling party’s organisation. The Sukhu government’s repeated emphasis on fiscal discipline and debt management has not fully insulated it from criticism over slow execution of projects and welfare commitments.

However, the local body elections are equally crucial for the BJP, which also appears to be grappling with internal divisions. The party, which hopes to capitalise on perceived “anti-incumbency” against the Congress government, seems to be facing rebellion within its own ranks. The primary party membership of around 20 grassroots leaders, including an ex-mayor and ex-deputy mayor, have been cancelled by the BJP as they filed their nomination papers against the party’s official candidates in these polls.

The rebellion among BJP workers became especially visible in Dharamshala and Solan, where several party workers and leaders are contesting as Independents after being denied party tickets. The state BJP leadership responded strongly by suspending more than 10 leaders for “gross indiscipline”.

Among those BJP leaders suspended in Dharamshala were former mayor Omkar Nehria, former deputy mayor Tejendra Kaur, Dharamshala Urban Mandal secretary Saroj Guleria, booth president Mitul Shukla and Mahila Morcha leader Himanshi Agrawal.

In Solan, disciplinary action was taken against councillors Gaurav Rajput, Rajni Rajput, Rampal and Mukesh Verma, while Leela Saini was suspended in Nahan Municipal Council. The action was ordered by state BJP president Rajeev Bindal.

The BJP leadership has projected these suspensions as a message that organisational discipline cannot be compromised in a cadre-based party. Yet, politically, the episode has exposed simmering dissatisfaction among the party’s grassroots workers over ticket distribution and the leadership’s functioning. The fact that leaders like the former mayor and deputy mayor openly rebelled indicates that the discontent runs deeper than routine election-time resentment.

For the Congress, a respectable performance could help counter the perception of administrative drift and revive organisational morale. For the BJP, success would reinforce its claim that public dissatisfaction against the government is growing. But if rebel BJP candidates damage the official party nominees significantly, the party may be forced into introspection over leadership cohesion well before the 2027 Assembly battle begins.

BJP MLA and spokesman Randhir Sharma told The Indian Express, “The state party leadership was aware of this situation that there would be dissent among those who would be denied the tickets. The party has decided to deal with them firmly, hence the primary membership of many of these leaders was cancelled. Indeed, many of the BJP councillors, who won their wards in 2021, were denied tickets this time and fresh faces were introduced because the party decided to go on the results of our internal surveys. The BJP selected its candidates on the basis of feedback of grassroots’ workers and local residents.”

Sharma also said: “Indeed, winning all four municipal corporations is our aim but through these elections, a signal was also given to the grassroots workers that they would be dealt with strictly if they don’t toe the party line. This message is also crucial for the 2027 Assembly elections.”

The Congress was also affected by internal dissension. But the party has not expelled any of its leaders who went against its official candidates. A Congress leader said, “There is a case of our ex-Solan mayor Usha Sharma. She was denied the ticket this time and filed her nomination as an Independent. Like Sharma, there are also others, but their numbers are less than in the BJP.”

Congress national spokesperson and MLA Kuldeep Singh Rathore told The Indian Express, “The Congress is united. So far, I have not received a single complaint against any party leader or worker for working against the party. We have an edge in all four municipal corporations. Even our party in-charge Rajni Patil toured all the four local bodies along with the CM. The BJP has been a divided house. Internal tussle within the BJP will prove costly for its leaders.”

Rathore also said, “In 2021, the people of these corporations had shown their trust in the Congress. This time too they are going to favor us.”

He agreed that the results of local body elections will set the mood for the 2027 elections.

In 2021, the Congress won 11 wards out of 15 in the Palampur Municipal Corporation. Two wards each went to the BJP and Independents. In Mandi, the BJP won 11 wards of 15 as against the Congress’s 4. In Dharamshala, the BJP had won 8 wards of 17, while the Congress and Independents won

5 and 4, respectively. Later, these Independents supported the BJP. In Solan, the Congress won 9 wards of 17 as against the BJP’s with 7 with the remaining one picked by an Independent.

This time, Mandi will witness elections in 14 of its 15 wards. Parties and voters in ward no. 4, Behna, have boycotted the elections with all candidates withdrawing their nominations amid public demands that the ward should be removed from the municipal corporation and declared a separate nagar panchayat.