Gandhinagar, Oct 5 : With a thumping win, for the first time in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) elections, polling for which was held on Sunday, the BJP crushed the entire opposition bagging 41 ward seats in its kitty.The BJP also won in two other civic bodies in Gujarat, Okha and Thara municipalities.The BJP state president C.R.Paatil said that this election showed that there was no place for a third party in Gujarat, pointing to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The BJP has snatched the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation from the arch rival Congress bagging 41 ward seats out of the total 44.Two seats were claimed by the Congress and one by the debutant AAP.
The Gujarat State Election Commission (SEC) also announced the results for three more municipalities – Okha in Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Bhanvad and Thara municipality in Banas Katha district.
According to SEC, the BJP won 20 out of 24 seats in Thara securing a majority while the Congress got only four seats.Retaining the Okha municipality by winning 34 out of 36 seats, the BJP formed the body while two seats went to the Congress.
However, the saffron party faced a major setback in Bhanvad municipality polls, which has been its bastion since 1995.The Congress emerged victorious in Bhanvad by winning 16 out of 24 seats while the BJP could only manage 8 seats this time.The voter turnout in Okha and Bhanvad was 55.07 and 62.27 per cent respectively, while Thara had recorded an impressive 73.55 per cent turnout.
“Today’s results have once again established the fact that Gujarat has no place for the third party,” said C.R.Paatil, the state BJP president at Kamalam, the party headquarters, at the victory celebrations held after the results.
The GMC saw approximately over 56 per cent polling in eleven wards of the state’s capital.This was higher than the last elections held in 2016, which was 52.02 per cent.The elections were carried out peacefully with no untoward incident happening anywhere.
Out of the total 2.30 lakh registered voters in the state capital Gandhinagar, approximately over 56 per cent exercised their democratic rights to elect 44 councillors from 162 candidates across 11 wards of the GMC.
Both, the BJP and the Congress had fielded 44 candidates, while 40 candidates were from AAP, 14 from Bahujan Samaj Party, 2 from Nationalist Congress Party, 6 from other parties and 11 Independent candidates.
“I am glad that the responsibility entrusted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on us was successfully achieved.Although, our state president was disappointed with not winning the remaining three seats, we will continue to work for the development,” said Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel at Kamalam.
This was the first major election after Bhupendra Patel took charge as Gujarat Chief Minister.
The GMC elections also hold much significance, as this was the last biggest elections before the state Assembly polls scheduled in December 2022.
This is the first time that the BJP has won the state capital local body.In the previous 2011 and 2016 elections, the rival Congress had won both the local body polls, but due to its councillors drifting to the BJP, the bodies were governed by the saffron party.
The GMC polls were earlier scheduled for April 10, 2021, but were postponed due to the pandemic
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