GMC Election Results: BJP manages to get full majority

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday registered a landslide victory in the Gandhinagar municipal corporation (GMC) elections. Of 44 seats of the Gandhinagar municipal corporation, the Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in 41 seats, Congress two and the Aam Aadmi Party 1.

The results have been a major setback for Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that won two and one seats respectively.

This is the first time that the BJP has managed to get a full majority after Gandhinagar got Municipal Corporation status in 2010.

This was the first major election after Bhupendra Patel took charge as the chief minister of Gujarat.

"I am glad that the responsibility entrusted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to us, was successfully achieved. Although, our state president was disappointed with not winning the remaining three seats. We will continue to work towards development," said Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

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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.

In the previous GMC elections, the BJP and the Congress were tied with each party winning 16 of the total 32 seats. But within days, in a stunning move, Congress councillor Pravin Patel and one of his associates defected to the BJP, paving the way for the latter to form the body in GMC. Patel then became the Gandhinagar mayor. Later, following the new delimitation, the total number of seats in GMC was increased to 44. Elections to GMC were due in April this year. However, it was postponed owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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