Congress releases first list of candidates for Shimla Municipal Corporation polls

SHIMLA: The Congress party on Tuesday released its first list of candidates for the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) polls, naming candidates for seven out of 34 wards.

The list also includes four women candidates.

The names cleared by the party include Uma Kaushal (Tuttikandi), Umanga Banga (Lower Bazar), Shinam Kataria (Benmore), Kusum Lata (New Shimla), Narinder Chauhan (Bhattakufar), Surinder Chauhan (Chhota Shimla) and Deepak Rohal (Patyog).

As per the Himachal Pradesh state election commission, the polling would be held on May 2 and results would be declared on May 4. Filing of nominations would be on April 13, 17 and 18 and scrutiny of nomination papers would take place on April 19. The last date of withdrawal is April 21 and symbols would also be allotted on the same day, it added.

While the Congress is likely to release its second list soon, the BJP has announced to release its list of candidates on April 12. According to the notification, out of 34 wards, three are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), 17 for women, including three for Scheduled Caste women, while 14 wards will be unreserved.

The BJP wrested the prestigious civic body from the Congress for the first time in 32 years in 2017. The five-year term of SMC expired in June 2022 elections for which are being held after a delay of nearly a year.

Source: Press Trust of India