BJP has scored big victory in Gujarat local body polls: CM Patel

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Tuesday said the BJP has scored a big victory in local body elections, with results showing the ruling party is headed for a clean sweep. ''I am grateful to the people of Gujarat for again supporting PM Narendra Modi's development-focused politics and delivering a big victory to the BJP,'' Patel told a press conference. As per the results of the elections held for municipal corporations, municipalities, district panchayats and taluka panchayats available so far since counting of votes started at 9 AM, the BJP has won 6,472 of more than 9,900 seats, while the Congress has secured 1,412 seats. Independents and other parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and AIMIM, have bagged 597 seats. Patel said the people of Gujarat will never tolerate any negative role or negative move, reiterating that the mandate reflected the BJP's development-driven governance. ''BJP leaders, including Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi and state BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma, have effectively raised issues concerning the common people,'' the chief minister said, asserting that this ''spirit of teamwork and responsiveness'' will continue. Sanghavi, Vishwakarma and other senior BJP leaders were also present at the news conference. ''It is a historic win for the BJP with more seats and also for the people of Gujarat, as the results of the local body elections are out,'' said Sanghavi. He said the BJP has won across municipal corporations, almost all municipalities, and every taluka panchayat, losing only a single district panchayat. Sanghavi said the people have defeated the Opposition's attempts to provoke them. ''Many political parties tried to provoke the people of Gujarat, but they have again chosen PM Modi's development-led politics,'' said Sanghavi. He said attempts were made to mislead people by claiming that crores of rupees belonging to farmers of Punjab were spent on advertisements in Gujarat. ''Attempts were repeatedly made to provoke communities and create divisions, but they all failed, and the BJP secured a historic victory,'' Sanghavi added. Polling for 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats was held on Sunday under revised norms for Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations, which required extensive delimitation and ward restructuring in several districts. More than 4.18 crore voters were eligible to exercise their franchise. The civic bodies included nine newly-created municipal corporations, namely Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, Porbandar and Surendranagar.

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