Gujarat local body elections: Congress "bounces back" in rural areas, urban areas remain BJP bastion

By Darshan Desai
In a major setback, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lost face in his home state, Gujarat, where the ruling BJP has heavily lost in local body elections to the opposition Congress, written off in the state after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, when it failed to win even one seat, conceding all 26 to the BJP.
Coming close on the heals of the shock Modi’s party suffered in Bihar, the BJP could win just six district panchayats as against the Congress’ victory in 24. Simultaneously, the BJP could win just about 67 taluka panchayats as against the Congress’ scorecard of 134.
The BJP ruled 30 out of 31 district panchayats and 150 out 231 taluka panchayats after the last elections to the local bodies, held in 2010. Yet, the fact is, while district and taluka panchayats may be cause for rejoice to the Congress, the party has not been able to make a major headway beyond the rural areas.
Thus, the BJP not only retained all six municipal corporations – Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar – for which the polls were held, it won 34 municipalities as against Congress’ scorecard of just 11.
No doubt, the BJP’s victory in six city municipal corporations and municipalities has been diluted, as its victory margins have gone down, but the Congress’ failure suggests that it has a long way to go to gain urban support.
The elections – held on November 22 and November 29 – are however being interpreted as suggesting that is BJP is not invincible. Gujarat has, for the last over a decade, been a state, which has won the reputation where anyone could win in the name of the BJP and Narendra Modi.
Despite urban defeat, results show that the Congress defeated the BJP in some of those city areas where it was considered strong, especially in the Patel-dominated areas. This was especially visible in Rajkot, where Patel vote matters the most – it bagged 34 seats against the BJP’s 38.
In the outgoing Rajkot Municipal Corporation, the BJP had 49 members, as against Congress’ just 10. But as for Ahmedabad, things remain look pretty well-entrenched for the BJP. This time, the BJP won the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation won 142 seats out of 192, as against just 154 in 2010.
The polls are considered as the first popularity test since Modi left Gujarat, leaving the chief ministership to his closest ideological protégé, Anandiben Patel, nearly two years ago. It was also the first poll in the state in the wake of Patel community protests demanding reservation in jobs and educational institutes.
Also this is the first election which the BJP wanted to be postponed in Gujarat, claiming that the law and order situation was “not conducive” to hold a free and free election.
Such view was not taken even in the aftermath of the 2002 communal riots, when the BJP, riding on the Hindutva wave, sought early elections. In fact, following petitions by individuals, the Gujarat High Court had to force the elections on Gujarat.

Comments

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge — Blurring the line between fiction and political narrative

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" does not wait to be remembered; it arrives almost on the heels of its predecessor, released on March 19, 2026, just months after the first film’s December 2025 debut. The speed of its arrival feels less like creative urgency and more like calculated timing—cinema responding not to storytelling rhythm but to the emotional climate of its audience. Director Aditya Dhar, along with actor Yami Gautam, appears acutely aware of this moment and how to harness it.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

BJP accounts for 99% of political donations in Gujarat: Corporate giants dominate

By Jag Jivan An analysis of the official data on donations received by national parties from Gujarat during the Financial Year 2024-25 reveals a staggering concentration of funding, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounting for nearly the entirety of the contributions. The data, compiled in a document titled "National Parties donations received from Gujarat during FY-2024-25," lists thousands of transactions, painting a detailed picture of the financial backing for political parties from one of India’s most industrially significant states.

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.

Captains extraordinaire: Ranking cricket’s most influential skippers

By Harsh Thakor* Ranking the greatest cricket captains is a subjective exercise, often sparking passionate debate among fans. The following list is not merely a tally of wins and losses; it is an assessment of leadership’s deeper impact. My criteria fuse a captain’s playing record with their tactical skill, placing the highest consideration on their ability to reshape a team’s fortunes and inspire those around them. A captain who inherited a dominant empire is judged differently from one who resurrected a nation’s cricket from the doldrums. With that in mind, here is my perspective on the finest leaders the game has ever seen.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

‘No merit’ in Chakraborty’s claims: Personal ethics talk sans details raises questions

By Jag Jivan A recent opinion piece published in The Quint by Subhash Chandra Garg has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Atanu Chakraborty from HDFC Bank , with Garg stating that the exit “raises doubts about his own ‘ethics’.” Garg, currently Chief Policy Advisor at Subhanjali and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, writes that the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) appears to find no substance in Chakraborty’s claims, noting, “It is clear the RBI sees no merit in Atanu Chakraborty’s wild and vague assertions.”

Search This Blog