Ahead of the all-important assembly elections early next year, the incumbent BJP has won over 41 of the total 44 seats of the Gandhinagar municipal corporation that went to the polls on October 3. The Congress party has managed to win 2 seats while the new entrant AAP has bagged only 1 seat.
This is the first time that the BJP has managed to get a full majority after Gandhinagar got Municipal Corporation status in 2010. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, which were quite optimistic going into the polls, had an embarrassing outing as it had a dismal performance, winning just 1 of the total 44 seats.
As the poll results hinted towards a full majority of the BJP in Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation, workers of the saffron party hit the streets in celebrations.
#Gujarat : BJP workers & supporters were seen celebrating as the party leads in Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation elections#Gandhinagarelection #GandhinagarMunicipalElection pic.twitter.com/YHCgRsyWl5
— TOI Ahmedabad (@TOIAhmedabad) October 5, 2021
A total of 162 candidates were in the fray for the 44 seats across 11 wards in GMC. With the entry of AAP, the elections had become a three-pronged battle. The BJP and the Congress party had fielded candidates on all 44 seats while the AAP had selected candidates for 40 seats. Besides, other candidates contesting the polls included 14 from the BSP, two from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), six from other parties and 11 independents.
The polling had taken place on Sunday, October 3. A total of 2.82 lakhs—1.45 lakh males and 1.36 lakh females—were expected to cast votes in the polls. About 284 polling booths were installed by the SEC and 129 of them were marked as ‘sensitive’.
Along with the GMC, elections were also conducted in two Nagar Palika–Tharad in Banaskantha and Okha in Devbhumi Dwarka–and mid-term elections to Bhanvad Nagar Palika in Devbhumi Dwarka. The three Nagar Palika witnessed an estimated average of 59.52 per cent voting.
