3-way contest or one-sided fight? Gandhinagar civic body to decide on Sunday

Gujarat will witness municipal elections for the smallest city in the state, Gandhinagar, on Sunday. The city, governed by a 44-member Municipal Corporation, has seen a shift in political power in the past. The Congress party won the first election in 2011, while the BJP secured a victory in 2021, winning 41 out of 44 seats. However, two Congress corporators defected to the Opposition, leaving the AAP corporator Tushar Parikh as the lone opposition member.

This time around, the Congress shifted all its 44 candidates to undisclosed locations, claiming they were being pressured to withdraw by local BJP leaders. The Congress party has taken a Bharosa Patra from each of its candidates, promising they won't defect to the BJP after the election. Meanwhile, an AAP candidate in Ward No. 7, Rahul Vaghela, has declared his support for the BJP, though the party denies allegations of threats.

The BJP and Congress are competing fiercely in 12 seats, while the AAP has no candidates in these areas due to rejected nominations and withdrawals. The Congress and BJP have candidates in all 44 seats, while the AAP is present in 32 seats. The BJP has presented a manifesto promising to transform Gandhinagar into a "Sports Capital," while the Congress aims to make it "India's first GenZ city." The AAP has also announced its promises, including modernizing government schools and providing essential facilities for the youth.