The BJP retained control of all three urban local bodies that went to polls in Gujarat, winning 38 of 44 seats in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation and securing decisive victories in the Thara and Okha municipalities, according to results declared by the State Election Commission on Tuesday.
The results consolidate the party’s control over civic administration in the state capital as well as the two municipalities. In Gandhinagar, the Congress finished second with five seats, while an independent candidate won one seat. The Aam Aadmi Party, which had secured one seat in the previous election, failed to win any seat this time.
The BJP’s tally in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation declined from 41 seats in the previous election, held in October 2021, to 38 seats. The Congress improved from two seats to five, while the independent victory accounted for the remaining seat in the 44-member civic body.
Elections in Gandhinagar were held across 11 wards, with 130 candidates contesting the 44 seats. The municipal corporation has around 2.59 lakh voters. The State Election Commission recorded a voter turnout of 59.25% in the civic body.
In Thara municipality in Banaskantha district, the BJP won 19 of the 24 seats, while the Congress secured the remaining five. Polling was held across six wards, with turnout reaching 81.18%, the highest among the three urban local bodies covered in the election.
The result in Okha municipality in Devbhumi Dwarka district gave the BJP 29 of the 32 seats for which polling was held. The Congress won three seats. Four additional seats had already been declared uncontested after only BJP candidates remained in the contest. Including those seats, the BJP secured 33 of the municipality’s 36 seats and retained control of the civic body.
Polling in Okha was conducted across nine wards and recorded a turnout of 63.27%. The elections in all three urban local bodies were held on Sunday, with counting beginning at 9 am on Tuesday. Electronic voting machines were used for the voting process.
The results leave the BJP in charge of the three civic bodies while giving the Congress the principal opposition position in each of them. In Gandhinagar, the change from the 2021 result was limited to a reduction in the BJP’s seat count and gains for the Congress and an independent candidate. In Thara and Okha, however, the BJP maintained a substantial majority.
The outcome will now determine the composition of the elected civic bodies as they undertake responsibilities related to local administration and urban services. The State Election Commission’s declaration of results marks the completion of the counting process for these three urban local body elections.
