Counting of votes for Gujarat’s statewide local self-government elections is underway across centres, with early results showing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) taking a clear lead in multiple urban and rural bodies. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, state BJP President Jagdish Vishwakarma and party organisation leader Ratnakarji are monitoring the results as counting progresses.
In early outcomes, the BJP won the Vapi Municipal Corporation election, moving well past the halfway mark while counting continued. The party also secured all 24 seats in Bayad Municipality, with 18 candidates elected unopposed and six through polling. In Una Municipality, the BJP crossed the majority mark in the 36-seat body, winning eight seats unopposed and 16 through elections, with no seats reported for the opposition so far.
BJP candidate Rajal Barot, daughter of late folk singer Maniraj Barot, was among those elected. In Padra Municipality, the BJP also crossed the halfway mark, winning 11 seats uncontested and five through polling out of 28 seats, while the Congress secured two seats.
According to trends available by noon, the BJP has won 573 seats in Taluka Panchayats, compared to 95 for the Congress and 40 for others. In District Panchayats, the BJP secured 127 seats, while Congress won nine and others won four. In municipalities, the BJP has won 580 seats, Congress 55 and others 31.
In Municipal Corporations, the BJP has secured 118 seats so far, including 43 uncontested, while the Congress has won seven seats, all from Vapi. The elections, held on April 26, covered 15 Municipal Corporations, 84 Municipalities, 34 District Panchayats and 260 Taluka Panchayats.
Data from the State Election Commission showed voter turnout at 49.02 per cent in Municipal Corporations, 59.50 per cent in Municipalities, 61.69 per cent in District Panchayats and 62.38 per cent in Taluka Panchayats, while by-elections to 13 municipal seats recorded a turnout of 55.38 per cent. Counting is continuing at designated centres across the state, with further results expected later in the day.