The Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation election has delivered a sharp setback to the Aam Aadmi Party, which failed to win any of the 44 seats and saw its vote share fall from 21.77% in 2021 to 4.37% this time. The result strengthens the BJP’s hold over Gujarat’s capital while giving the Congress a larger presence in the civic body.
The BJP won 38 of the 44 seats, according to the results reported on Tuesday. The Congress secured five seats and one seat went to an independent candidate. The outcome leaves the AAP without representation in the corporation after it had won one seat in the previous election.
The vote-share figures show a major shift in the contest. The BJP’s share rose from 46.49% in 2021 to 56.46% in the latest election. The Congress also improved its position, increasing its vote share from 28.02% to 36.93%. The independent candidate received 1.75% of the votes, while the Bahujan Samaj Party recorded 0.16%.
The AAP’s decline was particularly pronounced in absolute terms. The party received 23,894 votes across Gandhinagar, compared with the stronger performance recorded by its candidates in the 2021 civic election. The result comes as the party seeks to build an organisation in Gujarat ahead of the next Assembly election.
The municipal outcome is significant beyond the seat tally because Gandhinagar is the state capital and its corporation is responsible for civic representation in the city. A stronger majority gives the BJP continued control of the municipal institution, while the Congress will enter the corporation as the principal opposition party. The result also shows how changes in vote share can alter the balance between established parties and newer political entrants in an urban election.
Manoj Sorathia, the AAP’s organisation general secretary in Gujarat, accepted the people’s mandate and said the party would address weaknesses in its organisation. He said the AAP would strengthen itself in Gujarat and continue to raise public issues as a strong opposition.
The AAP did record a separate victory in a by-election to the Bhadthar district panchayat seat in Devbhumi Dwarka. AAP leader Gopal Italia described the win as a response from farmers and linked it to the party’s demand for a drought declaration. That result, however, did not change the party’s performance in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation election.
The Gandhinagar result now leaves the AAP with the task of rebuilding its urban organisation before the Gujarat Assembly election. For the BJP and Congress, the immediate civic contest has produced opposite gains: the BJP retained control with a larger vote share, while the Congress expanded both its vote share and its representation in the corporation.
