News Analysis India

Tag: Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation

  • Gujarat local body polls: BJP victorious Gandhinagar, Congress wins Bhanvad municipality

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: The ruling BJP on Tuesday retained the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) and won in two other civic bodies in Gujarat, while the Congress took away Bhanvad municipality in Devbhumi-Dwarka district from the saffron party.

    In the GMC, the BJP established its lead since the beginning of counting at 9 am, and eventually trumped its rivals Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) by a huge margin.

    The GMC poll was being seen as a litmus test for the BJP in the backdrop of its sudden and surprising decision to change the state’s chief minister and the entire cabinet recently, ahead of the state Assembly polls due next year.

    The party had registered a thumping win in the local bodies polls held in February this year.

    As per the final tally released by the State Election Commission (SEC), out of total 44 seats in the GMC, the BJP won 41 seats, the Congress-two and the AAP bagged one seat.

    Counting of votes was also held for three other municipalities – Okha and Bhanvad in Devbhumi-Dwarka district, and Thara municipality of Banaskantha district.

    As per the final figures released by the SEC after counting of votes, the BJP won 20 out of 24 seats in Thara, while the Congress got only four seats.

    The BJP retained Okha municipality by winning 34 out of 36 seats, while two seats went to the Congress.

    However, in a setback to the BJP, the Congress emerged victorious in Bhanvad by winning 16 out of 24 seats.

    The BJP, which managed to win only eight seats this time, was in power in Bhanvad since 1995. Voting for elections to the GMC and the three other municipalities took place on Sunday.

    Besides, bypolls to elect representatives on 104 vacant seats of various other local bodies were also held the same day.

    Of the total 2.8 lakh registered voters in Gandhinagar, 56.24 per cent had exercised their franchise.

    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.

    In Gandhinagar, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had put in a concerted effort apart from traditional rivals BJP and Congress. A total of 161 candidates contested the GMC poll, with the BJP and Congress fighting in all 44 seats and the AAP in 40 seats.

    In the 2016 GMC elections, both the Congress and BJP won 16 seats each out of the total 32 seats existing at that time.

    Both the parties then had equal chances of forming the board through a draw of lots.

    However, at the last moment, Congress corporator Pravin Patel switched sides and helped the BJP come to power in the civic body.

    The latest election was originally supposed to be held in April this year, but it was postponed in view of the high number of COVID-19 cases emerging every day at that time.

  • Gujarat: Voting underway for Gandhinagar civic body, three municipalities

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Voting for the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) and three municipalities of Okha, Bhanvad and Thara in Gujarat began on Sunday morning, officials said.

    Votes are also being cast for the by-elections to seats vacated in some municipal corporations, municipalities, as well as district and taluka panchayats.

    People queued up outside the polling booths to cast their votes.

    The process began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm.

    Nearly five per cent votes were cast in the first two hours in GMC, election officials said.

    Elections are being held for 44 seats in GMC, for which a total of 161 candidates are in the fray, including 44 from BJP and Congress each and 40 from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), among others.

    Apart from the traditional rivals – BJP and Congress, AAP has fielded candidates on almost all the seats in the local body election for which voting is being held Sunday.

    Polls will be a test for the ruling BJP in the state, which brought Bhupendra Patel as the new chief minister of Gujarat, replacing Vijay Rupani along with all the ministers.

    Elections are being held on 78 seats in three municipalities of Thara (Banaskantha district), Okha and Bhanvad (both in Devbhoomi Dwarka district), for which 205 candidates are in the fray, including 78 from BJP, 72 from Congress, 52 from AAP, among others.

    Votes are also being cast for the by-elections to three seats in two municipal corporations – Ahmedabad and Junagadh – 42 seats in 26 municipalities, eight seats in seven district panchayats, and 43 seats in 37 taluka panchayats that were vacated since the elections in March elections.

    As many as 24 candidates are in the fray in eight seats vacated in the district panchayat bodies for which BJP and Congress have fielded eight candidates, AAP seven, etc.

    By-election is also being held on 43 seats in taluka panchayat, for which 123 candidates are in the fray, including 43 from BJP as well as Congress and 28 from AAP.

    AAP has entered Gujarat politics with local bodies polls and has fielded candidates across all the seats in the municipal corporations, municipalities, district and taluka panchayat bodies.

    Elections to six municipal corporations in Gujarat were held in February and BJP had registered victories in all of them.

    BJP had also won a majority of municipalities, district and taluka panchayats in the February election.

  • People of Gandhinagar want change, AAP has emerged as strong alternative: Delhi dy CM Manish Sisodia

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia on Wednesday claimed that the people of Gandhinagar city, the capital of Gujarat, want change, and that his party has emerged as a strong alternative to the ruling BJP and opposition Congress.

    He was in Gandhinagar to take part in a roadshow ahead of the October 3 elections to the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC).

    Addressing a press conference, Sisodia alleged that even as the voters of the city had given a chance to the Congress in the past, the party betrayed the people’s mandate and helped the BJP to capture the municipal body.

    “Now, the people of Gandhinagar want change. It’s not that BJP has been winning since the beginning here. In the past, people of Gandhinagar had given a chance to Congress also as people were not happy with the BJP rule. But since Congress was the only option, people voted for that party to bring in a change,” said the deputy chief minister of Delhi.

    “But unfortunately, Congress always remained weak. The party betrayed the people’s mandate and ultimately helped BJP to capture power. But now, AAP has emerged as a strong alternative to both Congress and BJP. I am fully confident that we will sweep this polls,” Sisodia added.

    He was referring to the 2016 GMC election, when both Congress and BJP won 16 seats each out of the total 32. Both the parties had equal chances of forming the board through a draw of lots. However, at the last moment, Congress corporator Pravin Patel switched sides and helped the BJP come to power at the civic body.

    “Recently, 27 AAP councillors won in Surat. The way they are working, people are now realising what a corporator can do. People just want to get their work done. They don’t want any false promises. People now have a choice in the form of AAP. I firmly believe that BJP never did anything for the state capital and its people,” Sisodia claimed.

    He added that instead of seeking votes on religious or caste lines, AAP will seek votes only on the basis of the party’s performance. Polls to the Gandhinagar civic body are being held almost six months after they were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    As per the schedule, polling for the GMC with 44 seats in 11 wards will be held between 7 am and 6 pm on Sunday. The counting of votes and declaration of result will be done on October 5.