Gujarat civic polls: BJP sweeps all 15 corporations, crosses 50% vote share across the board

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday notched up a sweeping victory across all 15 municipal corporations. In the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, the saffron party crossed the 50% mark in every corporation.Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the BJP’s Gujarat unit for sweeping all 15 municipal corporations in the state’s local body polls, saying the results have further strengthened the bond between Gujarat and the party.In a post on X, PM Modi thanked the people of Gujarat for the mandate, saying they have endorsed the BJP’s governance and hard work over the years. He assured that the party will continue to work harder to take the state to new heights of progress.He also lauded BJP karyakartas for their grassroots efforts, crediting them for the party’s continued success.The BJP registered a clean sweep in the civic polls, winning all 15 municipal corporations, including Ahmedabad and Rajkot. The elections covered 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats, and 260 taluka panchayats.The results come ahead of next year's assembly polls in Gujarat.Polling for the civic elections was held on Sunday, covering 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats, and 260 taluka panchayats.Seen as one of the largest electoral exercises ahead of next year’s Assembly elections, the polls spanned nearly 9,200 seats and involved over 4.18 crore eligible voters.According to state election commission (SEC) data, voter turnout stood at 55.1% in municipal corporations, 65.53% in municipalities, 66.64% in district panchayats, and 67.26% in taluka panchayats.Among the municipal corporations, the newly formed Gandhidham in Kutch district recorded the lowest turnout at 46.03%, while Vapi in Valsad district saw the highest at 72.29%. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation registered a turnout of 51.81%.Polling was conducted for the first time in nine newly created municipal corporations, including Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, Porbandar, and Surendranagar.The elections were held under revised norms for Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations, which necessitated extensive delimitation and ward restructuring across several districts.The BJP, Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged as the principal contenders, while the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) also fielded candidates in multiple constituencies.