Ahmedabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has cemented its dominance in the city by winning a fifth straight term in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) elections, results of which were declared on Wednesday.
In the polls held on Tuesday for 192 seats spread across 48 wards, the BJP maintained its strong hold by bagging 160 seats — identical to its 2021 performance. Two seats, one each in Thaltej and Vasna wards, went uncontested. The Congress, which contested all 192 seats though five of its candidates later withdrew, managed to win 32 seats, registering a gain of eight from the 24 it secured in the previous election. No independent candidates were successful this time, ending a 15-year run in which independents had occasionally broken through.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which had won seven seats in 2021 (four in Jamalpur and three in Makhtampura), drew a blank in 2026. Those areas, traditionally considered Congress strongholds, were successfully reclaimed by the Congress this round.
Ahmedabad is broadly divided into western and eastern zones. The western part comprises 18 wards with 72 seats, while the eastern region has 30 wards and 120 seats. In the 2026 results, the BJP won 68 of the 72 western seats (gaining one compared to 2021), with the Congress taking four. In the east, the BJP secured 92 of 120 seats (one less than before), as the Congress improved its tally to 28.
This victory extends the BJP’s uninterrupted control of the AMC since 2005. The party had previously triumphed in the civic polls of 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2021. The Congress last exercised power in the corporation following the 2000 elections, more than 25 years ago.
The expansion of the AMC boundaries through delimitation in 2007 — which merged several municipalities and village panchayats including areas like Chandkheda, Ranip, Thaltej, Sarkhej, Bodakdev and Vejalpur — and the subsequent addition of Bopal-Ghuma in 2021, have further strengthened the BJP’s position across both western and eastern Ahmedabad.
With the results now clear, attention has shifted to the election of the mayor and the chairperson of the standing committee. Names being discussed for the mayor’s post include Hitesh Barot from Thaltej, Dharamshi Desai from Bodakdev, and Jashubhai Thakor from Shahibaug. For the standing committee, probable candidates include Paresh Patel from Vastral, Devang Dani from Bodakdev, Kenat Patel from Gota, and Pravin Patel from Ghatlodia.
Of the 192 seats, 96 were reserved for women. This time, 97 women corporators were elected. Notably, in Kubernagar ward, the pattern from 2021 repeated with wins for Congress candidates Kamini Zha and Kalpana Kodekar, and BJP’s Aarti Patni.
