BJP sweeps UT polls, wins 107 of 122 seats across local bodies

Of the 16 seats in Daman District Panchayat, BJP had won unopposed on 10 seats, and in the elections held on the remaining six, the BJP won five, the one seat going to Independent candidate Dharmishta Patel who defeated  BJP candidate, Ritaben Patel from Ward 1 of Marwad.

In the Daman Municipal Council (DMC), BJP won 12 of the total 15 seats,  unopposed, while an election was held on the remaining 3 seats. Of these, BJP candidates won on two seats, while  Jayantilal Mittal who contested as an Independent after his daughter was denied the ticket, won the remaining seat defeating the BJP candidate, Tandel Laxman. Jayantilal Mittal was an active BJP worker and his daughter Anita Jayantilal Mittal won the 2020 DMC election from another ward. This year, she was denied a ticket by the party. The BJP district chief Bharat Patel had suspended Jayantilal Mittal for six years from the party for contesting the election as an independent candidate against the party’s candidate.

In DNH District Panchayat, of the 26 seats, BJP candidates won on 17 seats, and in the elections held on the nine seats , BJP won seven the remaining two going to Congress candidates  Sureshbhai Radiya from Umarkui Panchayat and Amratbhai Vartha from Kilvani Panchayat.

In the Diu District Panchayat, of eight seats, the BJP won all after winning five unopposed.

In the Daman Municipal Council BJP won 14 of 15 seats  and the Gram Panchayat of Daman, out of 16 seats, the BJP candidate won 15.

In the Silvassa Municipal Council, BJP won all 15 seats. Similarly, out of 26 Gram Panchayat seats, 16 were won by BJP-supported candidates, and the remaining seats went to Congress-supported candidates and Independents.

In 2020  in Daman DP, the BJP had won 11 seats out of 16, in Daman MC, BJP candidates won 10 of 15 seats,  and similarly in DNH DP, BJP won all seats as JD(U) elected candidates joined BJP. Meanwhile, in Silvassa Municipal Council, out of 15 seats, BJP candidates secured 14 seats, with JD(U) candidates having joined the BJP. One seat had gone to an Independent.

DNHDD Union Territory BJP president Mahesh Agariya said, “The local body election result is historic… in the history of DD and DNH; such a result has not been achieved by our party before. I was appointed as DD and DNH state president three months ago, prior to the election. On the third day of my appointment, I toured all the gram panchayats, district panchayats and municipal councils in DD and DNH that were going for polls. I met people, shared updates on development in the district, and also motivated our party leaders and members to work.”

He added, “In DNH gram panchayat elections, of 26 seats, our supported candidates won 16 Gram Panchayats. In Daman, our supported candidates won 15 panchayats. The Opposition party makes baseless allegations about the rejection of their candidates. I wanted to report that our 17 forms submitted to the Gram Panchayats in DNH have been rejected. We have not made any objections or raised any issues.”