The Bharatiya Janata Party swept Gujarat’s local body elections on Tuesday, registering a landslide across municipal corporations, municipalities, district panchayats, and taluka panchayats, while the Congress finished a distant second and the Aam Aadmi Party registered limited gains. The results also saw the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) open their accounts in the state for the first time. Assembly elections in the state will be held late next year. The BJP has been in power in the state since 1998.
The BJP recorded its biggest win in Gujarat’s 2026 local body polls, sweeping all 15 municipal corporations and winning about 6,472 of over 9,900 seats, including over 730 uncontested. In 2021, it won all 6 corporations at the time and 6,236 of 8,470 seats.
Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi called it the BJP’s “biggest-ever victory” in local body elections, crediting grassroots workers and the state’s development agenda.
“The bond between Gujarat and the BJP gets even stronger! Gratitude to the people of Gujarat for a sweeping mandate in the Mahanagarpalika, Nagarpalika, Taluka Panchayat and Zilla Panchayat elections held across the state. The people have voted for politics of good governance, seeing the excellent work of the state Government. They have blessed the hardwork of the BJP over the years. I assure the people of Gujarat that we will work even harder in the times to come and take Gujarat to newer heights of progress,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X.
The elections, held on April 26, covered 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats, and 260 taluka panchayats — one of the largest grassroots electoral exercises in the state’s history, with more than 41.8 million eligible voters. Municipal corporations recorded a voter turnout of 55.1%, municipalities 65.53 %, district panchayats 66.64 %, and taluka panchayats 67.26%.
In the 15 municipal corporations, the BJP won 894 of the 1,001 declared seats, while the Congress won 95 and the AAP, six. In Ahmedabad, the BJP won 160 of 192 seats, with the Congress securing 32. In Surat, the BJP won 115 seats, the Congress one, and the AAP, four — a sharp reversal from 2021, when the AAP had won 27 seats in the city. In Morbi, the BJP swept all 52 seats in the corporation’s maiden election, with the Congress, AAP, and others failing to win any seat. Porbandar-Chhaya, another newly formed municipal corporation,saw a clean sweep by the BJP across all 52 seats.
In the 84 municipalities, the BJP won 1,618 of 2,239 declared seats against the Congress’s 447 and the AAP’s 18. In the 34 district panchayats, the BJP won 835 of 1,032 declared seats, the Congress 136, and the AAP 57, with results for six seats still pending. In the 260 taluka panchayats, the BJP won 3,401 of 4,949 declared seats, the Congress 1,049, and the AAP 402, with 28 results still pending.
A notable feature of these elections was the sharp rise in uncontested seats — 736 seats were decided before polling began, compared to 220 in 2021 and just 37 in 2015.
Among notable results, AIMIM won Ward No. 1 in the Bhuj Nagarpalika, with three of its candidates securing victory, marking the party’s entry into Gujarat’s civic politics. The SP won Ward No. 4 in Kathlal Nagarpalika in Kheda district, recording its first civic success in the state.
AAP Gujarat Pradesh Organisation General Secretary Manoj Sorathia, who was also the party’s mayor face from Surat, lost his contest.
In Rajpipla, the BJP swept 25 of 28 nagarpalika seats, with three going to independents — the first time the Congress and AAP failed to win any seat there. In Dhanera, however, the Congress secured 20 of 24 seats, dealing a significant blow to the BJP.
In municipality by-elections held simultaneously, the BJP won six of nine declared seats while the AAP won one. The Congress drew a blank.
In Godhra, independent candidate Apekshaben Naineshbhai Soni won Ward No. 7, which has a predominantly Muslim electorate. The result stood out as voters backed her on local issues.
Across all four categories of local bodies, the BJP won a total of 7,465 seats including 717 uncontested victories, against the Congress’s 1,727 and the AAP’s 483. The results are being closely watched as a precursor to the 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections.
“The people of Gujarat have shown unwavering faith in the politics of development established by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, giving the BJP this decisive mandate,” said Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
“Through their vote, the people have made it clear that Gujarat does not accept negativity,” Patel added.
“We thank the people for placing their trust in Congress candidates in the local body elections. We remain committed to corruption-free administration and protecting the rights of citizens. Congratulations to all winning candidates,” said Gujarat Congress chief Amit Chavda.
