AHMEDABAD: The BJP party has tightened its grip on Gujarat’s political landscape, securing a landslide victory in the elections for 66 municipalities and by-elections for two others.The BJP dominated the municipal elections, clinching 1,315 seats, while Congress trailed with 252 seats. Independent candidates secured 126 seats, the BSP secured 11 seats while AAP and others secured 13 and 4 seats respectively. The party maintained its lead in the Taluka Panchayat polls, bagging 55 seats as Congress managed to win 17 seats and independents grabbed over 6 seats. The trend continued in the Junagadh Municipal Corporation elections, where the BJP secured a sweeping 44 seats, leaving Congress with just 11 seats. The election process wrapped up on February 16, recording an average voter turnout of 57% across the regions.However, voter enthusiasm varied widely, with Chorwad Municipality emerging as a standout, posting a record 76 per cent turnout — the highest in the state.Of the 1,844 municipal seats, 167 were uncontested, leaving 4,374 candidates vying for the remaining 1,677 seats.Notably, the BJP dominated the uncontested tally, securing 162 seats unopposed, while Congress won just one, and four seats went to other parties.The BJP also swept Valsad, Pardi, and Dharampur municipalities but faced resistance from rebels, with four independents winning in Dharampur.In Valsad, BJP won 34 of 37 seats, while Congress secured just one.In Junagadh Municipal Corporation, BJP clinched 40 of 60 seats while Congress secured 11 seats, and one seat was secured by an independent.BJP also dominated uncontested wins, securing eight seats outright. Junagadh has seen BJP’s dominance since 2004, except for a brief Congress victory in 2009.In a significant political shift, the Samajwadi Party clinched power in Ranavav and Kutiyana, marking its emergence in Gujarat’s Porbandar district. This victory underscores the party’s growing influence in the region, reshaping the local political landscape.Notably, the Devgadh Baria Nagar Palika elections took a violent turn as tensions flared after the results were announced. Chaos erupted in the Kapadi area when unidentified individuals hurled stones, sparking a fierce clash between two groups from the same community.The violence left over three people injured, escalating the situation further.However, authorities swiftly deployed heavy police presence in response and effectively turned the Kapadi area into a security zone.
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