Hitesh Barot named Ahmedabad Mayor as BJP sweeps Gujarat civic posts
Synopsis
The BJP has installed Hitesh Barot — a second-term corporator and former standing committee chairman — as Ahmedabad's new Mayor after winning 160 of 192 AMC seats. The simultaneous civic appointments across Navsari, Gandhidham, and Morbi underscore the party's near-total grip on Gujarat's urban local governance.
Key Takeaways
Hitesh Barot (Thaltej ward) named Ahmedabad Mayor on 26 May , succeeding Pratibha Jain .
Anjuben Shah appointed Deputy Mayor ; Kamlesh Patel to chair the AMC standing committee .
The BJP won 160 of 192 seats in the 2026 AMC elections — its fifth consecutive term .
The mayoral post was reserved for a male OBC corporator this term.
BJP also announced mayors in Navsari ( Ashok Dhorajiya ), Gandhidham ( Divya Nathani ), and Morbi ( Uttam Surani ).
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, 26 May announced a fresh slate of office-bearers for the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), naming Thaltej ward corporator Hitesh Barot as the city's new Mayor — a role reserved this term for a male OBC corporator. The appointments follow the 2026 civic body elections in which the BJP swept to a fifth consecutive term at the AMC.
Key Appointments in Ahmedabad
Sabarmati ward corporator Anjuben Shah has been appointed Deputy Mayor, while Khokhra ward corporator Kamlesh Patel will chair the influential standing committee. Shahibaug ward corporator Jashubhai Thakor has been named leader of the ruling BJP in the civic body, and Chandkheda ward corporator Atul Mishra has been appointed party whip.
The 12-Member Standing Committee
The BJP also finalised the full 12-member AMC standing committee. Its members are: Ketan Kumar Patel (Gota ward), Rakesh Parikh (Sardar Patel Stadium ward), Niraj Gajjar (Sabarmati ward), Chandraprakash Khanchandani (Sardarnagar ward), Rajesh Patel (Shahibaug ward), Ghanshyam Barot (India Colony ward), Jayshriben Dasari (Bapunagar ward), Sumanben Solanki (Asarwa ward), Rupal Bhatt (Ramol-Hathijan ward), Nitaben Desai (Odhav ward), and Moulik Patel (Isanpur ward).
Who Is Hitesh Barot
Barot, a second-term corporator from Thaltej, previously served as Chairman of the AMC standing committee between 2021 and 2023 and was widely regarded as a frontrunner for the mayoral post after the latest elections. He succeeds outgoing Mayor Pratibha Jain. The BJP won 160 of 192 seats in the 2026 AMC elections, its fifth straight majority in the corporation.
BJP Civic Appointments Across Gujarat
Alongside Ahmedabad, the party announced leadership across several other municipal corporations in the state. In the Navsari Municipal Corporation, Ward No. 2 corporator Ashok Dhorajiya was selected as the city's first Mayor, with Keyuri Desai as Deputy Mayor, Mukesh Agrawal as standing committee Chairman, Naresh Purohit as ruling party leader, and Rakesh Patel as party whip.
In the Gandhidham Municipal Corporation, Divya Nathani was appointed Mayor, Naveen Jeru Deputy Mayor, and Tejas Sheth standing committee Chairman. For the Morbi Municipal Corporation, Ward No. 8 corporator Uttam Surani was named Mayor, Ward No. 6 corporator Chirag Ranpara Deputy Mayor, and Ward No. 1 corporator Jayantibhai Padsumbhiya standing committee Chairman. Arpitaba Jadeja was appointed ruling party leader and Jayeshbhai Desai party whip in Morbi. This coordinated round of civic appointments signals the BJP consolidating its administrative grip across Gujarat's urban local bodies ahead of state-level political cycles.
Point of View
And the 160-of-192 seat margin leaves little room for internal dissent. What bears watching is whether Barot, a former standing committee chairman, uses the mayoral office to push infrastructure and urban service delivery, or whether the role remains largely ceremonial in a corporation where real power traditionally sits with the standing committee. The simultaneous appointments across Navsari, Gandhidham, and Morbi suggest a coordinated consolidation of urban governance before the next state electoral cycle — a pattern the BJP has used effectively to build local cadre loyalty in Gujarat.
NationPress
16 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the new Mayor of Ahmedabad?
Hitesh Barot, a second-term corporator from the Thaltej ward, has been named the new Mayor of Ahmedabad. He previously served as Chairman of the AMC standing committee from 2021 to 2023 and succeeds outgoing Mayor Pratibha Jain.
Who will head the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation standing committee?
Khokhra ward corporator Kamlesh Patel has been appointed Chairman of the AMC standing committee. The 12-member committee includes corporators from wards across the city, from Gota to Isanpur.
How did the BJP perform in the 2026 Ahmedabad civic elections?
The BJP won 160 of the 192 seats in the 2026 AMC elections, securing its fifth consecutive majority in the corporation. The scale of the win reinforced the party's dominant position in Gujarat's largest city.
Why was the Ahmedabad mayoral post reserved for a male OBC corporator?
Municipal corporation mayoral posts in Gujarat are subject to a reservation rotation system. For the current AMC term, the post was designated for a male Other Backward Class (OBC) corporator, which Hitesh Barot fulfils.
Which other Gujarat cities received new mayors alongside Ahmedabad?
The BJP simultaneously announced mayors for Navsari (Ashok Dhorajiya), Gandhidham (Divya Nathani), and Morbi (Uttam Surani) as part of a coordinated round of civic appointments across the state.
