Gandhinagar, April 28 Counting of votes for Gujarat’s local body elections is underway across the state, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) taking a decisive early lead in municipal corporations, municipalities, district panchayats and taluka panchayats as results continue to be declared in phases.
The counting exercise covers elections held on April 26 for 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats, as well as by-elections in 11 municipalities.
The results are being announced progressively from designated counting centres under the supervision of the State Election Commission.
Trends show the BJP ahead across most categories of local bodies. In municipal corporations, the party has so far secured 846 seats, compared with 71 for the Congress and 12 for others.
In municipalities (nagarpalikas), the BJP has won 1,889 seats, the Congress 408 and others 172.
In district panchayats, the BJP has won 802 seats, the Congress 116 and others 43, while in taluka panchayats the BJP has secured 3,280 seats, followed by the Congress with 873 and others 409.
Among major municipal corporation results declared so far, the BJP has won the Vadodara Municipal Corporation, securing 51 of 56 declared seats (including two unopposed), crossing the halfway mark in the 76-member body.
In the Rajkot Municipal Corporation, the BJP has won 57 of 61 declared seats out of 72, while in the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation, the party has secured 44 of 48 declared seats out of 64.
The BJP has also won the Navsari Municipal Corporation and Morbi Municipal Corporation, where it has maintained a clear majority as counting continues.
In the Porbandar Municipal Corporation, the party has secured all 34 declared seats, including 11 unopposed, out of 52 seats counted so far.
In other urban local bodies, the BJP has won Khambhat Municipality (22 of 36 seats), Sojitra (15 of 24), Tarapur (13 of 24), Palanpur Municipality (27 of 44), Vyara Municipality (26 of 28, including nine unopposed), Dhanera Municipality (19 of 28), Nakhatrana Municipality, Sidhpur Municipality (26 of 36, including three unopposed), and Bhuj and Mundra municipalities in Kutch district.
In Bhuj, the party has secured 28 of 44 seats, while in Mundra it has won 19 of 28. In Surat Municipal Corporation, Union Minister and Navsari MP C. R. Patil said the BJP had secured 115 of 120 seats, describing the result as evidence of public trust in the party’s governance.
The Congress registered a notable performance in Dabhoi Municipality, winning 21 of 36 seats, including 4 unopposed, and sweeping several wards with a significant Muslim voter presence.
Counting is continuing across all centres, with remaining seats yet to be declared in several municipalities and corporations. Officials said final results will be completed once all rounds of counting are concluded under the Election Commission’s supervision.
--IANS
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