BJP sweeps Gujarat local body polls; PM Modi hails victory
The BJP won the Junagadh Municipal Corporation, 60 out of 68 municipalities and all three taluka panchayats—Gandhinagar, Kapadvanj, and Kathlal
Ahmedabad: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured a resounding victory in the Gujarat local body elections held on February 16, winning the Junagadh Municipal Corporation (JMC), 60 out of 68 municipalities and all three taluka panchayats—Gandhinagar, Kapadvanj, and Kathlal.
Commenting on the victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote in a post on X, “Gujarat’s bond with BJP is not only unbreakable but also getting stronger by the day! I thank the people of Gujarat for blessing the BJP with their support in the local body elections held across the state. This is yet another victory for politics of development. It is humbling how the people of Gujarat are time and again reposing their faith in us. These special blessings give us even more energy to work in service of the people. I would like to appreciate every BJP Karyakarta for their efforts on the ground, which have contributed to this outstanding result.”
The Congress, which has been steadily losing ground in Gujarat, managed to win only one municipality, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) made gains by securing two.
The BJP also gained control of at least 14 municipalities previously held by the Congress and others, further shrinking the opposition’s presence at the local level. Among the key municipalities that changed hands, the BJP secured victories in Radhanpur, Mahudha, and Rajula.
The Congress retained only Salaya municipality in Devbhumi Dwarka district, where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also made a mark, winning 13 out of 28 seats. The Samajwadi Party, under Gujarat MLA Kandhal Jadeja, secured control of two municipalities, displacing the BJP in Kutiyana and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Ranavav.
The Congress suffered a significant setback as its sitting MLA from the Somnath assembly seat, Vimal Chudasama, lost the municipality election from Chorwad. Chudasama, who contested from Ward No. 3 of Chorwad Municipality, was defeated as the BJP panel secured victory in the ward.
Five municipalities—Mangrol, Dakor, Anklav, Chhotaudepur, and Vavla—delivered a fractured mandate with no party securing a clear majority.
At a press conference held at BJP’s state headquarters Shri Kamalam, Gujarat BJP president and Union minister for jal shakti C.R. Patil and chief minister Bhupendra Patel hailed the results as a testament to the party’s organisational strength and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Sangathan and elected representatives working as one has resulted in this landslide victory in the local body elections,” said CM Patel.
Patil noted that compared to the last election, the BJP’s seat tally had increased by 14. “We had aimed for a clean sweep in all 68 municipalities, but two went to the SP, and one to the Congress,” he said. He further remarked on the declining influence of the Congress in Gujarat, stating, “Seven municipalities saw the Congress failing to even open its account, and their tally in other areas has also shrunk. The results indicate that Gujarat is moving towards becoming Congress-free.”
Patil also emphasised Prime Minister Modi’s leadership and the BJP’s electoral momentum, stating, “No party or leader has the ability to halt the progress of Modi Saheb’s Ashwamedh Yajna.” Looking ahead, he said the results reflected what could be expected in the upcoming municipal corporation elections.
Gujarat Congress president and Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil acknowledged the party’s struggles in urban areas but emphasised the resilience of its candidates. “Despite BJP’s undemocratic tactics, senior leaders, workers, and candidates of Congress party fought well. We accept that our urban organisation has been weak, but we have been working on strengthening it,” Gohil said. He pointed out that Congress had already improved its position in Junagadh, increasing its tally from one to 11 seats. “The results are not disappointing for Congress. In some places, we faced setbacks due to the absence of key leaders, while in others, our candidates fought independently…there were multiple instances of intimidation, horse-trading, and the administration’s bias,” he added.
According to AAP Gujarat president Isudan Gadhvi, the party had fielded over 500 candidates across various municipalities, securing more than 35 seats. “This victory comes despite several attempts by the BJP to disrupt the party’s progress. The BJP used multiple tactics, including false rejection of candidate forms and intimidation, to curb AAP’s momentum. Nonetheless, AAP managed to win key seats in several municipalities, securing prominent positions in opposition roles.”
The Junagadh Municipal Corporation (JMC) witnessed a decisive BJP victory, with the party winning 48 out of 60 seats. The Congress managed to secure 11 seats, while an independent candidate claimed one. The BJP’s success came despite the introduction of a 27% OBC reservation in local bodies, a policy implemented by the Gujarat government in 2023.
The BJP’s latest victory follows its strong performances in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections, where it won 156 seats (out of 182) and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, where it won 25 out of 26 seats.
Meanwhile, in Kheda district’s Mehmadabad town, police detained two locals, Vijay Chadd, 40, and Sagar Tarapada, 22, for unfurling flags of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is presently behind bars at Ahmedabad’ Sabarmati Jail.
“Vijay had brought two flags bearing the picture of gangster Bishnoi and handed over one to Sagar as they waved it outside a counting centre at Sonawala school in Mehmadabad. We found photographs of Bishnoi from his phone and during interrogation he told us that he was impressed by videos about Bishnoi circulating on social media,” Kheda superintendent of police (SP) Rajesh Gadhiya told HT.