Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation election result updates: BJP wins 19 seats, Congress 1

Gandhinagar election result updates: This time, the elections became three-pronged after the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). People on Sunday used their franchise to choose from 161 candidates in fray across 11 wards of the GMC.

The Congress has been hit badly in the ongoing counting of votes for the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) election, local media reported. People on Sunday used their franchise to choose from 162 candidates in fray across 11 wards of the GMC.

Voters stand in a queue to cast their votes during Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation elections, on Sunday. (PTI Photo)

This time, the elections became three-pronged after the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Congress fought on all 44 seats, the AAP fielded candidated in 40 seats. Apart from GMC, elections were also held in Okha, Bhanvad and Thara municipalities. Together in these three municipalities, 205 candidates were in the fray, including 78 from BJP, 72 from Congress, 52 from AAP, among others.

Votes were also cast for the by-elections to seats vacated in some municipal corporations, municipalities, as well as district and taluka panchayats.

According to local media, trends for 124 seats are available in which the BJP is leading on 95, while the Congress has cornered 24. Leading Gujarat newspaper Sandesh reported that the BJP has won 19 seats and wards 1, 5, 7, 9 and 10 in Gandhinagar. The Congress, meanwhile, has been able to win just one.

In Ahmedabad, the BJP's Maulik Patel has won from Isanpur ward

This was the first major election after Bhupendra Patel took charge as the chief minister of Gujarat. It is being seen as a litmus test for the BJP's abrupt and surprising decision to change the entire government, as it had registered a thumping win in the local bodies polls held in February.

The BJP, with Rupani as CM, had swept six municipal corporations, municipalities and a majority of district and taluka panchayats.

The state election commission had earlier postponed the election, originally scheduled in April, due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.