Vadodara: In a last-minute twist, the BJP has retained control of the Anand district panchayat after the Gujarat High Court reinstated the nomination of its candidate for the president’s post, reversing an earlier rejection by election authorities and ending Congress’s hopes of securing an unopposed victory.

The dispute revolved around BJP candidate Mayuri Patel, whose nomination for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) woman-reserved president’s post had been rejected during scrutiny over questions surrounding her caste certificate. Patel, who was elected from the general Sarsa seat, had submitted an ST certificate issued in Maharashtra, her native state.

The Anand district development officer (DDO), acting in the capacity of election officer, ruled that caste certificates issued outside Gujarat were not valid for reserved-category posts in local self-government elections, leading to the rejection of Patel’s nomination.

The decision temporarily shifted the advantage to Congress candidate Gauri Shambhu Tadvi, elected from the ST-reserved Hadgud seat. As Tadvi’s nomination remained the only valid one in the race, Congress leaders anticipated an unopposed victory despite the BJP’s overwhelming strength in the 40-member district panchayat, where it holds 33 seats compared to Congress’s seven.

The controversy soon escalated into a political showdown. Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda claimed that the BJP candidate did not meet Gujarat’s ST reservation criteria and said objections had been raised before the Election Commission, the district collector, and the tribal commissioner.

However, the BJP challenged the DDO’s decision in the Gujarat High Court. Following the court’s intervention, Mayuri Patel’s nomination was restored, clearing the path for her election as district panchayat president. DeshGujarat