Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation vote count: BJP leads, Congress wins Ward 7 SC seat
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Counting of votes for the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) elections got underway at 9 am on Tuesday, 13 October, at the Government Commerce College in Sector 15, under tight police security. Early results from Ward 7 showed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning three of the four contested seats, while the Indian National Congress secured the remaining seat reserved for a Scheduled Caste candidate.
Ward 7 Results in Detail
After three rounds of counting covering the Kolvada and Vavol areas of Ward 7, BJP candidate Kinjalben Thakor led with 7,306 votes, followed by party colleague Sonalben Vaghela with 7,044 votes and Shaileshkumar Patel with 6,870 votes. Congress candidate Naginbhai Nadiya, contesting the seat reserved for a Scheduled Caste candidate, polled 6,130 votes and was declared elected. The ward recorded a total of 54,636 votes, including 54,446 valid votes, 183 NOTA votes, and seven invalid votes.
Among other Ward 7 candidates, Congress's Fenil Patel received 6,817 votes, Chandrikaben Thakor secured 6,291, and Sonalba Gol polled 5,888. BJP's Bhavik Sutariya received 5,930 votes. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidates fared poorly in the ward — Chandrikaben Shrimali polled 1,008, Sureshkumar Patel received 715, and Rahulkumar Vaghela managed 447 votes.
Counting Process and Security
District Election Officer and Collector Ravindra Khatale visited the counting centre at the Government Commerce College in Sector 15 to review security arrangements. Authorities reinforced measures to ensure counting proceeded peacefully and impartially. Votes are being counted for all 44 seats across the corporation's 11 wards, with a total of 130 candidates who contested the elections held on 11 October.
Voter Turnout and Key Figures
The GMC elections recorded a voter turnout of 59.25% on 11 October, with 1,54,045 of the 2,59,985 registered voters casting their ballots. Ward 4 posted the highest turnout at 74.78%, while Ward 5 recorded the lowest at 48.63%. In the previous GMC elections held in October 2021, the BJP had swept 41 of the 44 seats, with Congress winning two and AAP one — making the current count closely watched as a gauge of shifting voter sentiment.
Counting Across Gujarat
Beyond Gandhinagar, counting is simultaneously underway for elections to the Okha and Thara municipalities, as well as by-elections to vacant seats in several other local bodies across Gujarat. In Okha, 32 seats across nine wards went to polls after four seats were won unopposed, while in Thara, 24 seats across six wards were contested. The results across all these bodies will determine civic leadership for the next term.