AAP hails improved performance in Gujarat local body elections

Though final results for 250 taluka panchayats and 84 municipalities were awaited at the time of filing of this report, data from the State Election Commission SEC showed that the ruling BJP won most of these local bodies while some were bagged by the Congress, AAP and Independent candidates.

The AAP on Tuesday said it put up a strong performance in the Gujarat local body elections by winning one district panchayat - Narmada - and 12 taluka panchayats for the first time. Also, the party's seat tally across local bodies in Gujarat, where voting took place on April 26, jumped manifold as compared to the 2021 elections. While the BJP swept the polls by winning all the 15 municipal corporations and 33 out of 34 district panchayats in the state, the AAP clinched the remaining district panchayat, Narmada, besides winning more than 350 seats across local bodies, the results declared on Tuesday showed. The improved show came as a shot in the arm of the AAP, which received a big jolt last week after seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs, led by Raghav Chadha, merged with the BJP after quitting the party. Addressing a press conference here, AAP's Gujarat in-charge Gopal Rai expressed confidence that its tally would cross 400 seats once the counting is complete. Though final results for 250 taluka panchayats and 84 municipalities were awaited at the time of filing of this report, data from the State Election Commission (SEC) showed that the ruling BJP won most of these local bodies while some were bagged by the Congress, AAP and Independent candidates. Rai said the AAP contested 5,222 seats in the local body elections and compared its performance with the 2021 polls, when the party won 69 seats. ''In the last local body elections, the AAP won only 69 seats. This time, we have already won 380 seats and we are confident of crossing the 400 mark,'' Rai said. In areas where the AAP contested directly against the BJP, the party emerged as the second-largest force, while the Congress slipped into the third position, Rai claimed. ''According to the results received so far, the AAP has won 380 seats and the Congress 331,'' he said. Rai also alleged that the AAP candidates and leaders faced immense pressure and action during the elections, claiming that several cases were registered against its workers in Gujarat. More than 250 party candidates and leaders had cases registered against them, while many AAP workers were prevented from campaigning, he alleged. Despite the challenges, Rai said, the AAP candidates remained in the fray and contested spiritedly.