NEW DELHI: The BJP registered an impressive victory in the Gujarat municipal elections, counting for which is still underway. It is a relief for the ruling party before the 2022 assembly elections. In all, the party the state has so far won 449 of the total 576 seats, Congress 44, AAP 19, BSP 3 and one independent candidate in state civic polls.
The performance of the Congress, which had improved its tally in the 2017 state polls, has deteriorated. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP not just opened its account in Surat but also emerged as the second-largest party in the city.
These are the highlights of the municipal election results:
Pro-incumbency for BJP
The results are a major shot in the arm for the BJP and Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani as they come about 20 months before the state assembly elections. The outcome proves there is a pro-incumbency mood for the Vijay Rupani government.
It should be a pleasant development for the BJP as the party’s performance had slumped in the 2017 assembly elections as compared to the 2012 polls. In 2012, the BJP had won 115 seats in the 182-member assembly. However, the tally declined to 99 in the 2017 elections.
The municipal election results should bring cheers for the BJP which has won six consecutive assembly elections since 1995.
The municipal election results should bring cheers for the BJP which has won six consecutive assembly elections since 1995.
No impact of farmers’ protest
The municipal election results in Gujarat could be compared with those in the recently-held polls in Punjab. Led by chief minister Amarinder Singh, the Congress registered a resounding victory in Punjab by winning six municipal corporations (Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Bathinda, Batala, Kapurthala and Abohar) and emerging as the single largest party in Moga.
Amarinder Singh got the advantage of pro-incumbency mood of the voters and the ongoing farmers’ protest against the three central farm laws. The majority of the agitating farmers are from Punjab.
Singh’s Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani too got the benefit of pro-incumbency mood. However, it is clear that unlike Punjab, there is no impact of the farmers’ agitation in Gujarat.
Setback for Congress
If the Gujarat municipal election results are a boost for the BJP, conversely they are a major dampener for the principal rival Congress.
Led by Rahul Gandhi, who was declared the Congress president in the midst of the 2017 Gujarat assembly elections, the party emerged as a principal challenger of the ruling BJP.
The Congress’s tally rose from 61 in 2012 to 77 in 2017. The party’s vote share also jumped from 38.95 per cent in 2012 to 41.4 per cent in 2017, an increase of 2.45 per cent.
The Congress’s position seems to have deteriorated and it would have to cover a lot of ground in the next assembly polls.
Emergence of AAP in Surat
As per the results announced so far, the BJP has won 126 out of 145 seats in Ahmedabad, 68 out of 72 seats in Rajkot, 50 out of 64 seats in Jamnagar, 44 out of 52 seats in Bhavnagar, 65 out of 72 seats in Vadodara and 92 out of 111 seats in Surat.
The Congress has won 14 seats in Ahmedabad, 4 in Rajkot, 11 in Jamnagar, 8 in Bhavnagar and 7 in Vadodara. By bagging 19 seats in Surat so far, AAP has emerged as the second largest party and is ahead of Congress.
Buoyed over the results in Surat, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal has decided to visit Gujarat and hold a roadshow in Surat on February 26.
AAP has become the BJP’s main challenger in Surat. It may try to expand its base in other parts of Gujarat for the next assembly elections.
The results in Surat are a reflection of the 2020 Delhi assembly results. Surat, like Delhi, has migrant labourers in plenty due to the diamond-cutting and polishing industries. They seem to have supported Kejriwal in Surat as well.
Secondly, the migrant labourers had suffered the most during the lockdown period from March 25 last year in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. They apparently have voted against the BJP in Gujarat municipal elections.