International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

Campaign Management and Electoral Performance in Urban Local Governance: A Strategic Management Perspective on the 2026 Municipal Corporation Elections in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh

Political campaign management is now becoming an essential strategic function in the contemporary democratic system. While there is substantial research on the management of campaigns in parliamentary and assembly elections, but relatively very little research on municipal elections, despite their growing political significance. The present study examines the relationship between campaign management structures and electoral performance in Mandi Municipal Corporation elections, 2026, Himachal Pradesh. In this study, we have used official electoral records, ward-wise voters’ data, polling reports, candidate data, organisational deployment records and election results. The study analyses the effect of strategic deployment of organisational resources on electoral results. The findings demonstrate that structured ward-level management, booth-level voter mobilisation, deployment of leadership and a coordinated campaign architecture played a significant role in electoral success. The study also considers the impact of strategic campaign management on electoral results. The findings suggest that systematic coordination of campaigns, mobilisation of voters at the booth level, structured deployment of the organisation and allocation of leadership significantly influenced electoral success. The study develops an index of Campaign Deployment (CDI) and an index of Ward Competitiveness (WCI) to measure organisational effectiveness and electoral competition. The findings suggest that wards with higher levels of campaign deployment generally had better electoral performance. The paper contributes to the literature on political campaign management, strategic management and political marketing by providing empirical evidence from an urban local body election in a Himalayan state.