BJP has elevated four-term Zila Parishad member Sheila Kumari as the chairperson of the Zila Parishad (ZP), while first-time member Pankaj Sharma was unanimously elected as vice-chairperson.

Kumari, who had previously served as ZP chairperson, emerged as the frontrunner for the coveted post despite two other contenders within the BJP. The party opted to go with seniority and appointed her to lead the key panchayati raj institution. She represents the Dangri ward in the Solan Assembly segment.

Sharma, a first-time ZP member from the Taksal ward in the Kasauli Assembly segment, outperformed several senior contenders, including four-term member Asha Parihar from Arki. With both top posts not being awarded to women, Sharma’s claim gained strength, particularly as the Kasauli Assembly segment had been denied either position in the previous Zila Parishad term.

Only two male candidates won ZP seats on the BJP ticket, while eight women members were elected. The Congress, meanwhile, did not put up a challenge as it lacked a candidate for the chairperson’s post, which was reserved for a Scheduled Caste woman, and did not have the numbers required to secure the vice-chairperson’s post.

The ruling party managed to win only five of the 17 ZP seats, while the BJP secured a clear majority with 10 seats. Two seats were won by independents.

With this victory, the BJP has retained control of the key panchayati raj institution for the second consecutive term since 2020.

The outcome marks the second major setback for the Congress in recent weeks after its poor performance in the Solan Municipal Corporation elections. The party’s weak showing in the district has come as a significant blow, especially after it had won all five Assembly seats in Solan.

“Seven of the eight Zila Parishads constituted in the state so far have been captured by the BJP,” Shimla MP Suresh Kashyap said, attributing the victory to public dissatisfaction with the Congress government’s policies. He added that the win would boost the BJP’s prospects ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.