BJP wins Gandhinagar, Thara and Okha civic body polls

Gandhinagar: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained control of all three urban local bodies that went to polls in Gujarat on October 11, winning 38 of the 44 seats in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) and securing majorities in the Thara and Okha municipalities. The State Election Commission announced the results on Tuesday, with counting beginning at 9 am.

In Gandhinagar, the Congress won five seats, while an Independent candidate secured one. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had won one seat in the previous election, failed to open its account this time.

Despite retaining control of the GMC, the BJP’s seat tally declined from 41 in 2021 to 38 this time. The Congress, meanwhile, improved its performance, increasing its tally from two seats to five. A total of 130 candidates contested the 44 seats across the civic body’s 11 wards.

In Thara municipality in Banaskantha district, the BJP won 19 of the 24 seats, while the Congress secured the remaining five.

In Okha municipality in Devbhumi Dwarka district, the BJP won 29 of the 32 seats contested, while the Congress secured three. The BJP had already won four additional seats unopposed, taking its total tally to 33 of the municipality’s 36 seats.

According to figures released by the State Election Commission, voter turnout stood at 59.25% in Gandhinagar, 81.18% in Thara and 63.27% in Okha.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel congratulated the winning BJP candidates and party workers, attributing the victory to public confidence in the party’s development agenda.

In a post on X, Patel said the BJP had received strong public support under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reflecting voters’ trust in the party’s development-oriented policies.

Thanking voters for their mandate, Patel said the party would continue working towards the vision of “Developed Gujarat, Developed India” through public service and service to the nation. DeshGujarat