BJP likely to rule Gandhinagar civic body as 2 Congress corporators join party

Gandhinagar: Gujarat's ruling BJP on Friday gained control of the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) as two Congress corporators defect to the party, reports Tv9 Gujarati.

Notably, both the BJP and the Congress had won 16 seats each in the 32-member body.

However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) put up a better showing in rural areas spread across five districts, winning seven of the 10 taluka panchayat seats.

The BJP had 18 seats in the outgoing Gandhinagar body but won two less this time, ensuring a tie.

The Congress had won 18 seats to win the first elections to the Gandhinagar civic corporation five years ago when Narendra Modi was chief minister. The BJP got 15 seats, and the body then had 33 seats.

But the Congress lost power midway when three members defected to the BJP, taking its strength to 18 from 15.

Gandhinagar and Junagadh were the only two corporations out of eight where the Congress had won a majority.

(With IANS inputs)