Shimla, Oct 5 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajeev Bindal on Monday said the election of a BJP-supported candidate as president of the Lahaul-Spiti District Council reflected what he described as a clear political message from the people of the state.

Bindal said that following the election process for presidents of the state’s 12 district councils, BJP-supported leadership had emerged in 11 councils.

He claimed that the results reflected public sentiment towards the functioning of the Congress government in the state.

BJP-supported candidate Thinley Dichen was elected president of the Lahaul-Spiti District Council after a prolonged wait for the election to the post.

Bindal said BJP-supported leadership had emerged in districts including Shimla and Kangra, as well as in the home districts of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri.

He also pointed out that BJP-supported presidents and vice-presidents had been elected to the District Council in Shimla.

“The people of the state have sent a clear message to the Congress government through the Zila Parishad elections. The victory of a BJP-supported president in Lahaul-Spiti has further strengthened this message,” Bindal said.

He alleged that the Congress government and its leaders had used political and administrative influence to establish their leadership in the district councils.

In Lahaul-Spiti, he alleged that the Congress had used government influence during the election process, but BJP-supported candidates nevertheless secured the presidency.

Bindal described the results as a “public referendum” on the performance of the government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the Congress.

He said the electorate had expressed its views through elections ranging from the panchayat level to the district council level.

The BJP state president said the Zila Parishad elections were local-body polls in which people had elected their representatives.

He added that the results also placed a responsibility on the BJP organisation and its elected representatives.

He said the BJP-supported representatives would seek to focus on development, public service and addressing local issues in their respective areas.

–IANS

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