Daijiworld Media Network – Dehradun

Dehradun, Jun 11: Independent candidates defeated the BJP’s official nominees in two newly formed urban local bodies in Uttarakhand, while the ruling party secured one chairperson’s post unopposed in the civic elections, the results of which were declared on Thursday.

Polling for three urban local bodies was held on Tuesday. While the BJP won the chairperson’s post in Narendranagar municipal council unopposed, it suffered setbacks in Pati Nagar Panchayat and Garhi Negi Nagar Panchayat.

In Pati, Independent candidate Narayan Lal defeated BJP nominee Naveen Ram by 224 votes in the chairperson’s election. The contest remained closely fought, with the counting process undergoing three rounds of recounting before Narayan Lal was declared the winner.

The election was significant as it marked the first-ever local body polls in Pati. All four ward member seats in the Nagar Panchayat were also won by Independent candidates.

Narayan Lal’s campaign drew attention after popular singer Pawandeep Rajan canvassed in his support. Narayan Lal is reportedly a close relative of the singer.

In Garhi Negi Nagar Panchayat, Independent candidate Abhishek Sukhija defeated BJP candidate Sachin Batla by a margin of 94 votes. The result followed a tense counting process, with repeated demands for recounting and the presence of senior BJP leaders at the counting centre until the final stages.

After his victory, Sukhija lay on the ground in gratitude and thanked God. He later indicated that he may continue to support the BJP despite contesting independently.

“I was earlier a BJP worker and will remain with the BJP in the future as well,” Sukhija said after the result.

In Narendranagar municipal council, the BJP's chairperson candidate was elected unopposed. In the ward elections, the BJP won four of the seven seats, while the Congress secured the remaining three.

Although the elections were limited to only three civic bodies, the results sparked political reactions across the state.

State Congress president Ganesh Godiyal claimed that the Independent winners in Pati and Garhi Negi had the backing of the Congress and said the results reflected growing public dissatisfaction with the ruling party.

“If our candidate’s nomination had not been rejected in Narendranagar, the Congress would have won there too. This beginning shows that the picture for 2027 is gradually becoming clear,” Godiyal said.

However, state BJP president Mahendra Bhatt dismissed the Congress claims.

“The BJP has won one seat, but the Congress has not won anywhere,” Bhatt said, adding that the party would review its defeats in Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar at the organisational level.