The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party scored a landslide victory in Junagadh Municipal Corporation election on Tuesday and bucked the trend to retain power in the civic body by winning 54 out of 60 seats. The opposition Congress which was vying to unseat the BJP was decimated as it barely managed win one seat even as Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won four.
In the final result declared after counting of votes for 59 seats, the BJP secured 54 seats. The NCP got four while Congress tally was reduced to just one. This is a significant shift in favour of the BJP as compared to the 2014 JMC election when the BJP had won 41 seats, Congress 16, Bahujan Samaj Party two and while one seat had gone to an Independent.
By succeeding to retain power, the BJP also bucked the trend of the saffron party and the Congress winning alternately in the Junagadh civic body. Congress was in power when Junagadh municipality was accorded status of a municipal corporation in 2001-2002. Then the BJP captured power in the maiden JMC election conducted in 2004. However, Congress wrested back control of the civic body by winning the 2009 poll. The BJP bounced back again in 2014 and defeated Congress.
Polling for 56 seats of the JMC was conducted on July 21 and a moderate 49.68 per cent turnout was recorded on a rainy Sunday. There are 15 election wards and total 60 seats in general board of JMC. However, three BJP candidates from Ward No.3 were declared winners unopposed after all four rival Congress candidates withdrew their candidature.