CM Sukhu Presenting Misleading Victory Claims to Influence Panchayat Polls: Jai Ram Thakur

Mandi, May 19: Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur accused Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of presenting “misleading and exaggerated” figures regarding the recent local body election results to influence upcoming Panchayat elections in the state.

Addressing party workers during meetings in Shankardehra and Jarol areas of the Seraj Assembly constituency, Jai Ram Thakur claimed that BJP-backed candidates had secured a massive victory in the local body elections and alleged that the Congress government was attempting to hide its electoral setback through “false narratives” on social media and public platforms.

The BJP leader said that while Congress had not officially declared candidates for the local body polls, the party was now making “baseless claims” of victory. He asserted that BJP had fielded officially backed candidates and that over 60 percent of them had emerged victorious, which he described as a reflection of growing public anger against the state government.

Jai Ram Thakur further alleged that both urban and rural voters in Himachal Pradesh felt “betrayed” due to unfulfilled election guarantees and anti-people policies of the Congress government. He claimed that the public mood had shifted strongly against the ruling party and predicted similar results in upcoming Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad elections.

The former Chief Minister also accused the government of lacking both financial resources and intent for development works and alleged that development funds received from the Centre were being diverted selectively for political interests.

He claimed that the recent election results had exposed the weakening political position of the Congress government and said the people of Himachal Pradesh wanted to move forward with the development agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.