The BJP swept the local body elections in Gujarat on Tuesday, registering a landslide victory in municipal corporations, municipal corporations, district panchayats and taluka panchayats, while the Congress finished a distant second and the Aam Aadmi Party recorded limited gains. The results also saw the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) opening their accounts in the state for the first time. House of Representatives elections are scheduled to be held in the state late next year. The Bharatiya Janata Party has been in power in the state since 1998.
The BJP registered its biggest win in the 2026 Gujarat local body polls, sweeping all 15 municipal corporations and winning around 6,472 seats out of over 9,900, including over 730 seats unopposed. In 2021, it won all six companies at that time and secured 6,236 of the 8,470 seats.
Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi termed this as the “biggest ever victory” for the BJP in the local body elections, and credited the grassroots workers and development agenda in the state.
“The relationship between Gujarat and BJP has become stronger! My gratitude to the people of Gujarat for the comprehensive mandate in the Mahanagarpalika, Nagarpalika, Taluka Panchayat and Zilla Panchayat elections held across the state. People voted for good governance policies and saw the excellent work done by the state government. They blessed the hard work done by BJP over the years. I assure the people of Gujarat that we will work even harder in the times to come,” wrote Prime Minister Narendra Modi in X. Gujarat to new heights of progress.
The elections, held on April 26, covered 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats – one of the largest popular electoral processes in the state’s history, with the number of eligible voters reaching more than 41.8 million. Municipal corporations recorded a voter turnout of 55.1%, municipal corporations 65.53%, district panchayats 66.64%, and taluka panchayats 67.26%.
In the 15 municipal bodies, the BJP won 894 of the 1,001 declared seats, while the Congress won 95 seats and the AAP six. In Ahmedabad, the BJP won 160 of the 192 seats, while the Congress bagged 32 seats. In Surat, the BJP won 115 seats, the Congress one, and the BJP won four — a sharp reversal from 2021, when the BJP won 27 seats in the city. In Morbi, the BJP swept all 52 seats in the maiden assembly elections, with the Congress, AAP and others failing to win any seat. Porbandar Chhaya, another newly formed municipal corporation, witnessed a clean sweep by the BJP on all its 52 seats.
In 84 municipalities, the BJP won 1,618 of the 2,239 declared seats against the Congress’s 447 and the RJD’s 18. In the 34 panchayats, the BJP won 835 of the 1,032 declared seats, the Congress 136 and the AAP 57, with the results of six seats still pending. In 260 taluka panchayats, BJP won 3,401 seats out of 4,949 declared seats, Congress won 1,049 seats, AAP won 402 seats, and 28 results are still pending.
A notable feature of these elections is the sharp rise in uncontested seats – 736 seats decided before polling began, compared to 220 seats in 2021 and just 37 in 2015.
Among the notable results, AIMIM won Bhuj Nagarpalika constituency No. 1, where three of its candidates achieved victory, marking the party’s entry into civic politics in Gujarat. The SP won Ward No. 4 of Kathlal Nagarpalika in Kheda district, marking its first civic success in the state.
AAP Gujarat Pradesh general secretary Manoj Surathia, who was also the party mayor from Surat, lost his contest.
In Rajpipla, the BJP swept 25 of the 28 seats in Nagarpalika, three of which went to independents – the first time the Congress and AAP had failed to win any seat there. However, in Dhanera, the Congress bagged 20 of the 24 seats, dealing a huge blow to the BJP.
In the municipal by-elections held simultaneously, the BJP won six of the nine declared seats while the RJD won one. Congress has drawn a blank sheet.
In Godhra, independent candidate Apekshaben Naingbhai Soni won constituency No. 7, which is inhabited by a majority of Muslim voters. The result stood out as voters supported her on local issues.
Across all four categories of local bodies, the BJP won a total of 7,465 seats, including 717 uncontested victories, against 1,727 for the Congress and 483 for the AAP. The results are being closely watched as a prelude to the 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections.
“The people of Gujarat have shown unwavering faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development policy, giving the BJP this crucial mandate,” Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said.
“By their vote, people made it clear that Gujarat does not accept negativity,” Patel added.
“We thank the people for placing their trust in Congress candidates in the local body elections. We remain committed to corruption-free administration and protecting the rights of citizens. Congratulations to all the winning candidates,” said Amit Chavda, Gujarat Congress president.
