This ward, which includes the Jangleshwar area of Rajkot near the Aji riverbank that witnessed large-scale demolitions in February this year, went entirely to the Congress.
The addition of Ward no.16 helped the Congress improve its tally from four to seven seats in the RMC, as it retained three of the four seats in Ward no.15.
By Tuesday evening, the final tally in Rajkot, which has 72 seats across its 18 wards, stood at 65 seats with the BJP, which included 16 panels, and seven seats with the Congress.
The demolitions in Jangleshwar saw RMC clearing 1,489 “illegally constructed” properties near the Aji riverbed and on an adjoining Town Planning (TP) road. On February 25, RMC said it cleared 33,750 square metres of land on the TP Road and 55,000 square metres of land in the Aji riverbed area, the combined worth of which was Rs 350 crore.
When asked about the party’s wins, Rajkot City Congress VP Ashoksinh Vaghela told The Indian Express, “RMC carried out a lot of demolitions in Jangleshwar, making the impression that it is a Muslim area. But Dalits and OBC populations also live there. The Congress party helped the residents go to court and bring a stay order on the demolitions. There was a wave against the BJP because of all these events, which led to our panel winning there.”
Rajkot City BJP president Madhav Dave said, “We accept the people’s mandate. We will examine where our work fell short at Ward no.16… Our efforts will be to regain the confidence of the people.”
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When asked if the demolitions played a role in the BJP losing the ward, he said, “The demolitions were done in the interest of the people: to give them a road, bring development and remove encroachments from government land. But I don’t think that’s the sole reason for the loss. We will only know more once we discuss it with our organisation.”
Meanwhile, the Congress only managed to win seven seats, and not all eight seats in both wards, over a technicality. Vashram Sagathiya, an incumbent councillor from Ward no.15 who had left the Congress for the AAP but later returned to the Congress, lost the election to Nilesh Ram Herbha of the BJP.
Explaining this loss, a Congress leader said, “Out of the four seats in Ward no.15, Vashram Sagathiya was the Congress candidate for the general seat. And Maqbool Daudani was the Congress candidate for the OBC seat. Nilesh Ram Herbha was the BJP’s candidate for the OBC seat.
Since Daudani got the highest number of votes in the panel, he became the general candidate. The BJP’s Herbha, who got the maximum votes in the OBC quota, beat Sagathiya by 154 votes. So, he was selected for the OBC seat and Sagathiya lost.”
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Also, Daudani is now the only returning Congress councillor from last term. Meanwhile, Rasila Suresh Garaiya of the Congress, who won from Ward no.16, has returned after a one-term break.
In the 2021 polls, the Congress’s fortunes in the RMC dwindled from 34 to four seats.
AAP chief Gadhvi’s home of Dwarka is a ‘mixed bag’
In the home district of AAP Gujarat chief Isudan Gadhvi, the Congress and the BJP took one municipality each. Also, the BJP won the Dwarka district panchayat with 18 seats against three to the Congress and one to the AAP. Out of the four taluka panchayats, the BJP won three and the Congress one.
In Khambaliya Municipality, the Congress was wiped out. Of the total nine wards, the BJP’s panels won six wards, and the party’s six candidates won six seats in two other wards, taking its total seat tally to 30. The AAP panel won Ward no.5 and one seat in Ward no.4. An independent won a seat in Ward no.1.
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On the other hand, in Jamraval Municipality, Congress panels won five wards, and the BJP won 3 seats in one ward.
The BJP won Khambaliya and Bhanvad taluka panchayats where the AAP got two seats each. The BJP also won all 16 seats of the Okhamandal taluka panchayat. The Congress won 11 seats in Kalyanpur taluka panchayat, where the BJP won nine and the AAP four.
BJP’s clean sweep of Kutch
In Kutch district, the BJP won all local bodies, most with a heavy majority and all 36 seats in Mandvi Municipality. Of the 448 seats that went to polls, the BJP won 345 seats, the Congress 102 seats, and the AAP won one (Rapar taluka panchayat). The BJP had already won 26 seats uncontested.
The BJP also won the only municipal corporation of Gandhidham in the region, as well as Bhuj Municipality. Gandhidham and Bhuj are the two major cities of Kutch.
