AHMEDABAD: After a string of uncontested BJP wins, the Congress in Gujarat has shifted over 100 candidates to a secret location, triggering full-blown “resort politics” to prevent poaching in the run-up to local body elections. The elections for 15 municipal corporations, 34 district panchayats, 84 municipalities, and 260 taluka panchayats have entered a decisive phase.
All major players—the BJP, Congress, and AAP—have gone into aggressive campaign mode, but beneath the surface, a sharper game is unfolding: one of withdrawals, pressure, and alleged deals.
With the April 15 deadline to withdraw nominations approaching, the Congress camp has slipped into defensive overdrive, fearing large-scale horse-trading. Many nominees have switched off phones and have moved to undisclosed locations.
Congress chief Amit Chavda, who has launched a blistering attack, alleged that BJP leaders are offering `20–30 lakh deals to poach Congress candidates. “This is not an election; this is a marketplace,” he effectively charged, warning that democracy is being “auctioned seat by seat.” He said that law enforcement officials are visiting homes of Congress candidates to intimidate them.
On the final day of scrutiny, 9,819 nomination forms were rejected across the state: 1,934 in municipal corporations, 1,164 in municipalities, and a massive 6,721 in district and taluka panchayats, signalling intense competition, especially at the grassroots level, where over 20,000 forms had been filed.
BJP appears to be playing a calculated game of “uncontested expansion”, quietly pushing for withdrawals to secure seats without a fight, a tactic that has already yielded hundreds of uncontested wins in past
cycles. This has triggered alarm bells within Congress. Meanwhile, the BJP has retorted with party spokesperson Dr Anil Patel dismissing Congress allegations as “excuses of a collapsing organisation”.
Poll official dies by suicide amid pressure
An election official ended his life by jumping before a speeding train in Gujarat’s Umargam hours after nomination scrutiny for the local body poll ended. At around 11:40 PM, he walked towards the tracks at Umargam railway station and jumped in front of a speeding train. The body was found mutilated between electric poles 14 and 16, cut into 44 pieces. Police have launched a probe.