BJP Sweeps Gujarat Civic Polls, Retains Gandhinagar, Thara and Okha
Total Views |
New Delhi, Oct 13: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday retained control of all three urban local bodies that went to polls in Gujarat, securing a decisive victory in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) and the municipalities of Thara and Okha. The results were declared by the Gujarat State Election Commission after counting began at 9 am.
In Okha municipality in Devbhumi Dwarka district, the BJP won 29 of the 32 seats contested on polling day. Four additional seats had already been won unopposed by BJP candidates, taking its total to 33 of the municipality’s 36 seats. The Congress won three seats in the contested election. In Thara municipality in Banaskantha district, the BJP secured 19 of the 24 seats, while the Congress won five. The results gave the BJP control of all three urban local bodies that went to polls.
According to figures reported by the State Election Commission, voter turnout was:
Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation: 59.25%
Thara Municipality: 81.18%
Okha Municipality: 63.27%
Polling was conducted on Sunday using electronic voting machines. The Gandhinagar election covered 44 seats across 11 wards, with 130 candidates in the fray. The civic body had approximately 2.6 lakh registered voters.
The accompanying local-body by-elections produced a mixed picture beyond the three principal contests. The BJP won the Ward 4 by-election in Chhota Udepur municipality and secured victories in the Kheralu and Bayad municipality by-elections. The Congress won the Thoriyali-Khodapipar seat in the Rajkot District Panchayat, while the AAP won the Bhadthar District Panchayat seat in Devbhumi Dwarka district.
The results therefore confirmed the BJP’s continued control of Gandhinagar, Okha and Thara, while also recording a modest improvement for the Congress in Gandhinagar and isolated victories for opposition parties in local by-elections. The BJP’s reduced tally in Gandhinagar and the opposition’s wins in selected areas provide important context to an otherwise strong performance by the ruling party.
In Gandhinagar, the BJP won 38 of the 44 seats, comfortably retaining control of the civic body. The Congress finished second with five seats, while an Independent candidate won one seat. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had won one seat in the previous election, failed to open its account this time. BJP wins 33 of 36 seats in Okha; Congress improves tally in Gandhinagar
Although the BJP retained Gandhinagar, its tally fell from 41 seats in the 2021 election to 38 this time. The Congress improved from two seats to five, including a clean sweep of all four seats in Ward 6. The result gave the Congress a limited gain in the state capital, but it remained far behind the BJP in the overall tally. The AAP’s failure to win any seat marked a setback for its effort to establish a foothold in Gandhinagar’s civic politics. It had won one seat in the previous election.
Voters have put a full stop to the fake news and false allegations surrounding SIR!
— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी)🇮🇳 (@pradip103) October 13, 2026
BJP sweeps Local Body General Elections!
They have once again placed their trust in PM @narendramodi ji's model of governance.
Voters reject Rahul Gandhi!
📍 Gandhinagar Municipal… pic.twitter.com/oEJkEpHggK
Turnout varied across the three civic bodies
Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation: 59.25%
Thara Municipality: 81.18%
Okha Municipality: 63.27%
Polling was conducted on Sunday using electronic voting machines. The Gandhinagar election covered 44 seats across 11 wards, with 130 candidates in the fray. The civic body had approximately 2.6 lakh registered voters.
BJP wins some local bypolls; opposition secures pockets of representation
The results therefore confirmed the BJP’s continued control of Gandhinagar, Okha and Thara, while also recording a modest improvement for the Congress in Gandhinagar and isolated victories for opposition parties in local by-elections. The BJP’s reduced tally in Gandhinagar and the opposition’s wins in selected areas provide important context to an otherwise strong performance by the ruling party.