Ahmedabad: Out of power for 20 years, the Congress on Wednesday made a stunning comeback in the rural areas of Gujarat by winning 21 of the 31 district panchayats, while the ruling BJP retained its hold over the urban pockets, clinching all six municipal corporations and 40 of the 56 municipalities.
After its battering in Bihar, the loss in rural local bodies in Gujarat comes more than a year after Narendra Modi, who ruled the state for 12 straight years, shifted to Delhi last year.
Of the 31 district panchayats, the Congress won 21 and BJP six, while in four others, no party emerged a clear winner as the many independents and other candidates emerged victorious. The BJP had won 30 district panchayats in the last elections in 2010.
In 230 taluka panchayats having 4778 seats, the Congress won 2509, while the BJP bagged 1981.
The ruling BJP, however, continued to be the preferred choice of the urban electorate, with the party clinching all six municipal corporations: Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, Jamangar and Bhavnagar. The party had won these corporations in 2010 as well.
The BJP also won 40 of the 56 municipalities, while the Congress managed nine. In three municipalities, independents were the winners and results were unclear in four others as none of the parties or independents got a clear majority. The Congress had won six municipalities in 2010.
In the fight for prestigious Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, the BJP managed to get 143 of the 192 seats. In a significant victory, the party won Viramgam municipality, which is the hometown of Patel quota agitation spearhead, Hardik Patel.
The Congress was virtually obliterated from all tiers of power structure in the state after losing almost every election to the BJP in the last 12 years under the leadership of then chief minister Narendra Modi.
The civic polls were a major test for Chief Minister Anandiben Patel's popularity as these were the first important elections after Modi moved to Delhi on becoming the Prime Minister.
Chief Minister Patel said BJP will have to analyse the reasons for its poor performance in the rural areas.
"Though we have done well in municipal corporations and municipalities, it is also a fact that the results in district and taluka panchayat bodies are not up to the expectations," Patel admitted while addressing party workers outside the BJP office in Khanpur.
"We have been doing several developmental works across Gujarat. We have also undertaken an exercise to strengthen the party organisation. Still we have to now analyse what went wrong. We will find out and address these problems," she said.
The civic polls had come after the controversial Patel quota stir. The politically influential Patels, who had hitherto supported the BJP, were up in arms against the state government over police action during the quota agitation and the Congress had hoped to benefit from it.
The Patel leaders, who had launched the stir for inclusion of their caste in the OBC category for reservation, had urged their community to vote against the BJP and in favour of Congress.
Elated over the win, state Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki said, "This is a mini-election of sorts for the state, where Congress has won in majority (rural) areas. This is a verdict against the state government."
Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel said, "My sincere gratitude to the people of Gujarat. The BJP government has also paid a heavy price for their vindictive attitude and witch hunt towards the (Patel) agitators."
"These results indicate the BJP government is on its way out in Gujarat. Results are a stepping stone for a Congress' victory in 2017," he said.
The Congress had also given tickets to wives of leaders of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), an organization floated by Hardik for quota agitation. Of the three who contested, two lost from Ahmedabad while one Rekha Patel who contested from Morbi won.
In the Unjha municipality of Mehasana district, a town dominated by Patels, a whopping 35 of 36 seats were won by the independents as no candidate was ready to contest on a BJP ticket.
Higlights:
* MUNICIPAL CORPORATION TRENDS AND RESULTS:
Ahmedabad: BJP-98, Congress- 34 (BJP wins)
Surat: BJP-53, Congress- 31 (counting on)
Vadodra: BJP-36, Congress- 16 (counting on)
Rajkot: BJP-38, Congress- 34 (BJP wins)
Bhavnagar: BJP-34, Congress- 18 (BJP wins)
Jamnagar: BJP-36, Congress- 18 (BJP wins)
District Panchayat (Total 31)
Results: 26- BJP 05, Congress 21
Tehsil Panchayat (Total 230)
Results: 110- BJP 27, Congress 80, Others 3
* In a major blow to BJP, Congress has won both Zila Parishad and municipal corporation in PM Narendra Modi's home district Mehsana.
Also Read: Gujarat local polls: Congress leads in rural areas; BJP ahead in urban
* Tehsil Panchayats: Congress leading/won on 118, BJP on 88
* 31 district panchayats(trends in for 30 panchayats): Congress leading on 18 Zila Panchayats, BJP on 12
* BJP secures Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation: BJP wins 27 seats, Congress on 17
* Vadodara, 76 seats in 19 wards: BJP is leading/won on 13 seats, Congress is leading/won on 12 seats. ‘
* Rajkot, 72 seats in 18 wards: BJP is leading/won on 25 seats, Congress is leading/won on 20 seats.
* Rajkot, 72 seats in 18 wards: BJP is leading/won on 25 seats, Congress is leading/won on 20 seats.
* Ahmedabad, 192 seats in 18 wards: BJP is leading/won on 69 seats, Congress is leading/won on 22 seats.
* BJP wins Vadodara municipal corporation, says EC
* BJP wins Viramgam municipality, Hometown of Patidar leader Hardik Patel.
* BJP wins seat in Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel's home ward.
* 11.30 am:
Ahmedabad: BJP ahead on 44 seats in, Congress 8
Bhavnagar: BJP is leading/won on 22 seats, Congress is leading/won on 17 seats
Jamnagar: BJP is leading/won on 28 seats, Congress leading/won on 8 seats
Vadodara: BJP leading/won on 10 seats; INC leading/won on 15 seats
Surat: BJP leading/won on 52 seats; INC leading/won on 33 seats
* Boost for BJP as it wins seat in Patel quota row leader Hardik Patel's home ward.
* As per trends available around 11 am, BJP is said to be leading in all 6 municipal corporations.
* Rajkot- BJP 16, Congress 14. Vadodara- BJP 11, Congress 10. Surat(leads)- BJP 50, Congress 30
* Gujarat Civic Polls trends: Vadodara-BJP 17,Congress 7. Surat- Congress-30, BJP-20. Counting underway
BJP is confident of a victory despite the Patidar protests.
The polls are dubbed a test for the ruling BJP, coming against the backdrop of violence-ridden Patel quota protests and the party's crushing defeat in the Bihar assembly election.
Voting for six municipal corporations was held on November 26, while that for 31 district panchayats, 230 taluka panchayats and 56 municipalities was held on November 29. The six municipal corporations registered only 45 per cent voter turn-out, but elsewhere it was over 60 per cent. The State Election Commission had made all the preparations for the counting at several places across the state, officials said.
The elections are being seen as a challenge for the BJP and Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, as they come after the Patel quota stir. These are also the first major elections in the state after Anandiben took over from Narendra Modi.
The Congress is hoping to make a comeback in the state, cashing in on resentment of the Patel community against the BJP. Patel leaders who are demanding inclusion in the Other Backward Classes or OBC quota had appealed the community members to vote against the BJP and for Congress ahead of the elections.
All the six municipal corporations - Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, and Bhavnagar - are at present controlled by the BJP. Most of the other local bodies in rural and semi-urban areas too are controlled by the BJP.
Meanwhile, the State Election Commission today conducted re-polling at a booth each in Dahod and Mahisagar districts.
"Some people had stormed into a booth in Ghodiya village of Zalod tehsil in Dahod and broke the EVM machine when polling was underway for district and taluka panchayats last Sunday. Similar incident took place in Nani Bhugedi village of Santrampur in Mahisagar. So we are conducting repolling today," said SEC secretary M V Joshi.
Ghodiya has 854 registered voters while Nani Bhugedi has 921 registered voters.
(With inputs from PTI)
