GANDHINAGAR: Matching its unparalleled victory in the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections, BJP Tuesday notched up yet another spectacular performance by sweeping local body polls for Junagadh Municipal Corporation (JMC), 68 municipalities, three taluka panchayats and by-polls to several vacant local body seats.
Although Congress improved its tally from 1 to 11, BJP won the JMC election comfortably, winning 48 of the 60 seats, with one seat bagged by an Independent.
BJP also put up a remarkable showing by bagging 62 of the 68 municipalities for which elections were held. Congress could win just one Salaya in Devbhumi Dwarka district losing 12 municipalities it won in the last elections held in 2018. BJP comfortably retained all three taluka panchayats – Gandhinagar, Kapadvanj and Kathlal. AAP did not win any seat in JMC and taluka panchayat elections, but bagged 27 seats in the civic body polls.
Of the 1,840 seats in the 68 municipalities, BJP won 1,341, while 252 seats went to Cong, 151 to Independents, 43 to BSP and 27 to AAP. Others got 8 seats. BJP won 55 of the 78 seats in three taluka panchayats, Congress got 17 and Independents won 6 seats. BJP also comfortably bagged all the three seats of the municipal corporations of Ahmedabad, Surat and Bhavnagar. The saffron party triumphed on all the 9 district panchayat seats. Of the 88 taluka panchayat seats, it wrested 73, with Congress and AAP getting 12 and 2 seats, respectively, while one seat went to an Independent.
While AAP won 13 seats in Salaya municipality which Congress bagged, Samajwadi Party won the municipalities of Ranavav and Kutiyana in Porbandar district.State BJP president C R Paatil attributed the electoral success to the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and CM Bhupendra Patel, and the hard work of the party cadre. GPCC chief Shaktisinh Gohil said the results were not disappointing given the circumstances, adding that the party would work harder among the people.
