Despite efforts from top leadership of Gujarat Congress to keep flock together, the Congress party lost five district panchayats and around 30 taluka Panchayat in the state that went for elections of office-bearers.
In 2015, the Congress had captured 23 of 31 district panchayats and 146 of 239 taluka panchayats. The performance of the Opposition party was best in the last couple of decades in Gujarat. Based on the performance, the Congress party had also done reasonably well in the 2017 Assembly polls by restricting ruling BJP below 100 in 182-seat State Assembly.
Generally, elections are held every two-and-a-half years among elected representatives of these panchayats to re-elect president and vice-president to these Panchayat bodies.
Talking to mediapersons, Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda said that the saffron brigade used State Government machinery and money power to lure Congress members with a malign motive to snatch Panchayat bodies from the Congress party. Chavda went on to say that BJP’s national president Amit Shah had instructed Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and other Cabinet Ministers to reduce Congress domination in the Panchayat body by half by hook or by crook. He claimed that despite their all-out efforts, the BJP failed to achieve its motive.
Taking hard action on those acted against the party, the Congress chief announced immediate suspension of all those who went against party mandate. In the recently held elections of office-bearers Congress has lost control over five district panchayats of Ahmedabad, Patan, Bhavnagar, Mahisagar and Dahod. Congress also lost its power in about 30 taluka panchayats, including in Umreth of Anand district, the hometown of State Congress President Amit Chavda. Earlier, Congress had lost control over a Panchayat in Amreli, the hometown of leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani.
On the other hand jubilant Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani termed the victory as trailer ahead of the 2019 lok Sabha polls. Vaghani claimed that the opposition party was shattering and differences within the oldest political party started surfacing.