The ruling BJP bagged nine out of 12 seats of the District Panchayats' president, the results of which were declared on Thursday. The Opposition Congress party candidates emerged victorious in three seats. In Dehradun, the BJP candidate and wife of senior leader Munna Singh Chauhan, Madhu Chauhan, was declared elected on the day. The BJP candidate, Shanti Devi, was declared elected in Pauri while its candidate, Sona Sajwan, emerged winner in Tehri district.
In Rudraprayag, BJP candidate Amardei was elected as president of Rudraprayag district Panchayat. Similarly, BJP candidate Basanti Dev was elected in Bageshwar district.
The Congress candidate, Rajni Bhandari, wife of former Cabinet Minister Rajendra Singh Bhandari, was declared elected on the post of president district Panchayat of Chamoli. In Almora, the Congress candidate Uma was declared elected while the party candidate Deepak Bijalwan was elected on the post of district Panchayat president of Uttarkashi.
It is worth mentioning here that the BJP candidates— Renu Gangwar, Jyoti Rai, Bela Tolia and Deepika— were declared unopposed on the post of district Panchayat president of Udham Singh Nagar, Champawat, Nainital and Pithoragarh respectively.
Meanwhile, the president of the State unit of BJP, Ajay Bhatt, has said that the party has achieved historic victory in Panchayat polls. He said that the party has won in nine out of 12 posts of district Panchayat presidents which show that the party has got massive support from the rural electorate.
The Opposition Congress has also expressed satisfaction on the results.
The vice president of the State unit of Congress party Surya Kant Dhasmana said that the BJP used every trick in the book to register victory in the Panchayat polls but the Congress was able to register victory in three district Panchayat president elections. Similarly, the party was able to secure victory in 29 posts of Block Panchayats despite blatant use of money and muscle power by the ruling BJP.