HP polls: Congress wins Shimla (Urban) seat

Congress' Harish Janartha won the Shimla (Urban) assembly seat on Thursday, beating his nearest BJP rival Sanjay Sood by a margin of 3,037 votes, according to the Election Commission.

Both Janartha, a former deputy mayor of the Shimla Municipal Corporation, and Sood had contested elections for the first time.

The BJP fielded Sood from Shimla Urban after its sitting MLA Suresh Bhardwaj was shifted to Kasumpti.

The counting of votes for the polls held on November 12 is underway and the BJP has won three seats, while the Congress has bagged one so far. Both parties are leading on 23 seats each and Independents are ahead on three seats.