The BJP on Tuesday won the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) election, gaining 41 out of 44 seats. It also retained two other municipalities: Thara and Okha, while the Bhanwad municipality went to the Congress.
In Gandhinagar, the ruling party won spectacularly for the first time ever since the corporation was created in 2010. New entrant AAP cut into the Opposition votes benefiting the BJP.
The Gandhinagar polls was seen as a litmus test for the BJP in the backdrop of its sudden decision to change the Chief Minister and the entire Cabinet recently, ahead of Assembly polls due in December next year.
The results of the polls in Gandhinagar and elsewhere are in line with the party’s performance earlier when it registered a thumping win in the local bodies polls held in February last.
As per the final figures released by the State Election Commission after the counting of votes, the BJP won 20 out of 24 seats in the Thara municipality in Banaskantha district, while the Congress got only four seats.
The BJP retained Okha, by winning 34 out of 36 seats, while two seats went to the Congress.
The Congress emerged victorious in Bhanvad in Devbhumi Dwarka district, by winning 16 out of 24 seats. The BJP, which managed to win only eight seats this time, was in power here since 1995.
Voting for Gandhinagar and the three other municipalities took place on Sunday. Besides, bypolls to elect representatives for 104 vacant seats of various other local bodies were also held the same day.
Earlier, Gandhinagar local polls were scheduled to be held in April last but were postponed owing to the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the total 2.8 lakh registered voters in Gandhinagar, 56.24 % exercised their franchise.
The voter turnout in Okha and Bhanvad was 55.07 and 62.27 %, respectively, while Thara recorded an impressive 73.55% turnout.
Limits expanded
Before the Gandhinagar election, the limits of the local civic body were expanded by merging several outskirts areas and villages and total 11 wards with 44 seats were created under the new delimitation process.
In the 2016 GMC election, both the Congress and BJP won 16 seats each out of the total 32 that existed that time.
Both the parties then had equal chances of forming the board through a draw of lots. However, at the last moment, Congress corporator Pravin Patel switched sides and helped the BJP come to power.
This time, new entrant AAP anticipated the repeat of Surat municipal polls when it won 27 seats in its maiden contest.
