BJP secures 50 percent votes across all tiers in Gujarat local body polls

The BJP has secured 50 per cent or more vote share across all categories in the just-concluded local body elections in Gujarat, data released on Wednesday by the State Election Commission (SEC) showed. The SEC published the figures a day after the ruling party swept the elections to 9,986 seats across 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats, held on Sunday. More than 4.18 crore voters were eligible to cast their ballots. In the municipal corporations, the BJP polled 1,19,01,017 or 59.36 per cent of valid votes. Congress stood second with 26.46 per cent (53,05,082 votes), while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured 10.27 per cent (20,59,332 votes). Out of total 1,044 seats across these 15 municipal corporations, BJP won 937, Congress won 95, while six seats went to the AAP. Independents and smaller parties won the remaining six seats. In the elections to 84 municipalities, the BJP garnered 52.51 per cent vote share (33,30,309 votes), followed by Congress at 30.68 per cent (19,46,075 votes). Independents accounted for 9.33 per cent votes, while AAP polled 4.89 per cent of the votes. Out of total 2,624 seats across the 84 municipalities, BJP won 1,988, Congress 459, AAP 18 while 14 seats went to AIMIM and remaining seats went to independents and other parties. The BJP also led in rural local bodies as it won 33 out of 34 district panchayats. In district panchayats, it secured 52.23 per cent of votes (89,71,028), while Congress polled 33.7 per cent (57,87,715 votes). AAP was in the third position with 21,29,930 votes, which translates to 12.4 per cent vote share. Out of 1,090 seats across 34 district panchayats, BJP won 892, Congress 136, AAP 58, while remaining four seats went to independents. Similarly, in 260 taluka panchayats having 5,228 seats, the BJP bagged 51 per cent vote share, translating into 86,46,005 out of over 1.69 crore valid votes cast. Congress secured 32.89 per cent votes (55,76,285), while AAP received 12.67 per cent votes (21,47,811). Out of total 5,228 seats across taluka panchayats, BJP won 3,674 seats, Congress 1,050, AAP 407 while one seat went to AIMIM and remaining 96 seats went to independents and other parties. The saffron party won all 15 municipal corporations where elections were held: Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Rajkot along with the newly created Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, Porbandar and Surendranagar. Of 34 district panchayats, the saffron party captured 33. It lost the Narmada district panchayat to AAP. As per the ruling party's own figures, it won 76 out of 84 municipalities and 229 out of 260 taluka panchayats. In a release, AAP said it won the Narmada district panchayat along with 12 taluka panchayats including four in Narmada district. The local bodies won by the Congress include Vyara, Ankalav, Hadad, Palanpur, Sidhpur and Patan taluka panchayats along with Sikka and Jam Raval municipalities. The BJP won 7,491 out of total 9,986 seats across local bodies, far more than its rivals. Congress won 1,740 seats, Aam Aadmi Party 489 seats, AIMIM 15 while 251 seats were bagged by independents and other smaller parties.

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