BJP wins 38 of 44 Gandhinagar civic seats; Congress doubles tally
Synopsis
The BJP swept 38 of 44 GMC seats but quietly lost three from its 2021 tally of 41 — while the Congress more than doubled its count and AAP was completely wiped out. Gujarat's state capital delivered a nuanced verdict: dominant ruling party, a recovering opposition, and a collapsed third force.
Key Takeaways
BJP won 38 of 44 seats in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation — down from 41 seats in 2021.
Congress improved from 2 seats to 5 , sweeping all four seats in Ward 6 .
AAP failed to win any seat, having held 1 seat after the 2021 elections.
An Independent candidate won in Ward 2 ; results declared on 13 October 2026 after polling on 11 October .
BJP also retained Thara (19 of 24 seats) and Okha (33 of 36 seats) municipalities.
Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi and BJP state president Jagdish Vishwakarma credited the results to public trust in the party's development agenda.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 38 of the 44 seats in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) elections, retaining firm control of the civic body when results were declared on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, following polling on 11 October. The party also held on to the Thara and Okha municipalities in the same round of local body elections.
Key Results at a Glance
The Indian National Congress improved its GMC tally from two seats in 2021 to five seats this time, including a clean sweep of all four seats in Ward 6 and one seat in Ward 7. An Independent candidate claimed the remaining seat in Ward 2. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had won one seat in the 2021 cycle, failed to open its account in this election.
Although the BJP retained a clear majority, its seat count slipped from 41 in 2021 to 38 — a net loss of three seats even as the Congress more than doubled its representation.
Performance in Thara and Okha
In Thara, the BJP won 19 of the 24 seats on offer, with the Congress taking the remaining five. In Okha, the BJP secured 33 of the 36 seats, including four in which its candidates were returned unopposed; the Congress won the other three contested seats.
What the BJP Leadership Said
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, in a post on social media platform X, said the mandate reflected public trust in the party. 'The mandate received by the BJP in the elections held for the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation and various other places reflects the people's trust in the party,' Sanghavi said, congratulating winning candidates and thanking voters and party workers across Gujarat.
State BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma described the results as fresh momentum for the party's development agenda. 'Rejecting political opportunism, the people have expressed unwavering faith in development and good governance,' Vishwakarma said, thanking voters for what he called historic support.
Broader Significance
This comes amid the BJP's continued dominance in Gujarat — a state it has governed uninterrupted since 1995. However, the Congress's ability to more than double its GMC count and sweep Ward 6 entirely signals that urban pockets of the state capital are not uniformly tilting towards the ruling party. AAP's washout, after its 2021 debut in GMC, marks a sharp reversal for the party's Gujarat ambitions. All eyes will now be on whether the Congress can consolidate these gains ahead of the next Gujarat Assembly election cycle.
Point of View
After a symbolic 2021 debut, confirms the party has failed to build durable roots in Gujarat beyond Assembly election cycles. The BJP's development framing will ring loudest, but the arithmetic tells a more textured story: the opposition is consolidating where the ruling party is slipping, and that trend, if it holds, will matter when bigger electoral stakes return to the state.
NationPress
13 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many seats did the BJP win in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation election 2026?
The BJP won 38 of the 44 seats in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation, retaining control of the civic body. However, this is down from 41 seats the party won in the 2021 election.
How did the Congress perform in the Gandhinagar civic polls?
The Congress won 5 seats — up from just 2 in 2021 — including a sweep of all four seats in Ward 6 and one seat in Ward 7. It was the party's strongest GMC performance in recent election cycles.
Did AAP win any seats in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation election?
No, AAP failed to win a single seat in the 2026 GMC election. The party had won one seat in the 2021 polls, making this a complete washout for its Gujarat urban ambitions.
When was polling held and when were results declared for the Gandhinagar civic election?
Polling took place on 11 October 2026 and results were declared on Tuesday, 13 October 2026. The BJP also retained Thara and Okha municipalities in the same round of local body elections.
What did Gujarat Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi say about the election results?
Sanghavi, in a post on social media platform X, said the results reflected public trust in the BJP and its development agenda. He congratulated winning candidates and thanked voters and party workers for their support.
