BJP sweeps Gujarat civic polls as Congress falters; AAP makes inroads in Saurashtra

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has once again demonstrated its formidable grip over Gujarat’s local governance, registering a landslide victory across municipal corporations and municipalities in the 2026 civic body elections. While the saffron party dominated the urban landscape, the results brought a mix of surprises, including the defeat of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja’s sister and a notable performance by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in specific pockets of the Saurashtra region.

Saffron wave sweeps major corporations

The counting of votes, which began early Tuesday morning across 393 local bodies, quickly turned into a one-sided affair in most urban centers. In major cities like Rajkot, Jamnagar, and Surat, the BJP’s "panel system"—where the party fields a group of four candidates per ward—delivered clinical results.

In the Rajkot Municipal Corporation, the BJP secured a staggering 65 out of 72 seats, leaving the Congress with a meager seven. Similarly, in Jamnagar, the party achieved a complete wipeout of the opposition in several wards, winning 40 seats across ten wards consecutively. The newly upgraded Navsari Municipal Corporation also saw a saffron surge, with the BJP claiming 50 out of 52 seats.

High-profile upsets and family battles

One of the biggest talking points of the day was the defeat of Nainaba Jadeja, sister of Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja. Contesting on a Congress ticket in Ward No. 2 of Rajkot, she failed to withstand the BJP wave as the entire saffron panel emerged victorious in her constituency.

Another notable loss was reported from Lathi Taluka Panchayat, where Sonalben Der, daughter of famous folk writer Maya Bhai Ahir and a BJP candidate, suffered a crushing defeat against Congress’s Shantiben Der. These individual losses provided small windows of relief for the Congress in an otherwise dismal day for the party.

AAP challenges status quo in Saurashtra

While the overall narrative remained pro-BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) managed to register its presence, particularly in the Saurashtra region and Jamnagar. In a surprising turn of events in Jamnagar’s Ward No. 12, AAP candidates Aslam Khilji and Zainabben Khafi secured victories alongside two Congress candidates. Interestingly, Khilji won the seat while being behind bars under GUJSITOC charges.

In Surat, where AAP had previously made significant gains, the party faced a tougher challenge this time. The BJP managed to snatch back several seats, including Ward No. 16, where AAP’s prominent face Payal Sakaria was defeated by the BJP panel.

Clashes and chaos at counting centers

The high stakes led to several instances of friction between party workers. In Surat, a violent scuffle broke out at Gandhi Engineering College between BJP and Congress supporters following the declaration of results for Ward No. 18. Witnesses described a "hair-pulling brawl" that required police intervention to disperse the crowd.

Similar tensions were witnessed at Ahmedabad’s LD Engineering College, where AAP and BJP workers engaged in a heated face-off over the use of mobile phones inside the counting hall. In Visnagar, the Congress staged a walkout and boycotted the counting process, alleging EVM tampering after a BJP clean sweep in Ward-3.

New civic bodies and OBC factor

This election was particularly significant as it was the first since the state increased reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from 10% to 27% in local bodies. The move appeared to have consolidated the BJP’s vote share across rural and semi-urban belts.

Furthermore, the results for nine newly created municipal corporations, including Morbi and Surendranagar, showed that the ruling party’s organizational machinery remains unmatched at the grassroots level. In Morbi, the BJP created history by winning all 52 seats in its very first corporation election.

Future of urban governance

As the final tallies are consolidated, the results suggest a shrinking space for the traditional opposition. The Congress's inability to keep pace in urban wards has allowed the BJP to maintain a near-monopoly on city budgets and infrastructure planning. For the AAP, the results represent a foothold that they will look to expand, though the "saffron fortress" of Gujarat remains largely impenetrable for now.