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Gujarat BJP wrests five district panchayats from Congress, controls 13 out of 33

These district panchayat bodies include Ahmedabad, Patan, Dahod, Mahisagar and Bhavnagar

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The BJP on Tuesday wrested five district panchayat bodies from the Congress after the elections for the posts of president and vice president. Several members of the Congress turned against the party and voted for the rivals helping the BJP candidates win the posts. These district panchayat bodies include Ahmedabad, Patan, Dahod, Mahisagar and Bhavnagar.

With this, the BJP now controls 13 out of 33 district panchayats in Gujarat. The party was in power in eight bodies before these elections. The BJP had won in only five district panchayats out of the 31 bodies that went to polls in December 2015. Anandiben Patel who was the chief minister at that point bore the brunt of the huge loss and had to step down from her post in less than a year after the polls. However, the party later managed to appoint its elected members to the posts of president and vice president in three more district panchayat bodies by joining hands with independent members and defecting Congress members.

The election process for the posts of president and vice president is held in presence of election officers, district collectors and district development officers.

The conclusion is reached through voice votes by the elected members who raise their hands to declare their support. Generally, the members vote as per their party's mandate.

However, in many cases, the Congress members went against the party mandate and local political equations are believed have played a role in the politicians turning hostile. Both parties have accused each other of manipulation and horse-trading.

Congress president Amit Chavda accused the BJP of misusing money and muscle power to lure or threaten their party members, while the Gujarat BJP chief Jitu Vaghani countered him saying that Congress' members had been losing faith in their state leaders. He alleged that the Congress had made political deals with BJP members but did not succeed in their plan ultimately.

With the latest development, the BJP has secured power in 114 tehsil panchayats across the state. The Congress had 146 tehsil bodies out of total 249, but the number has decreased to less than 130 after the latest elections.

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