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Gujarat: BJP sweeps polls in Muslim-dominated Salaya municipality 

POLITICS NEWS, Posted on Feb 13, 2013 at 09:18am IST

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Gandhinagar: The Bharatiya Janata Party registered one more victory in Gujarat by sweeping the polls in the Salaya municipality in Gujarat's Jamnagar, where 90 per cent of the population is Muslim. The BJP put up 24 Muslim candidates in a total of 27 seats, all of whom won.

The Congress did not win any seat in Salaya. Salaya has traditionally been a Congress bastion. This is for the first time that the BJP has won all the 27 seats of this minority-dominated town.

The BJP also posted impressive wins in civic elections by winning 47 of the 76 municipalities for which elections were held. Out of 75 municipalities, the results of which were declared today by the State Election Commission, 47 were won by BJP while Congress managed to win nine, officials said.

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This is for the first time that the BJP has won all the 27 seats of this minority-dominated town.

Out of 76 municipalities where election were declared, Halvad in Surendranagar and Kutiyana in Porbandar were won by BJP unopposed and polling was held for 74 'Nagar Palikas' or municipalities on Sunday. Counting for the Bhachau municipality was suspended as the seals of some of the EVMs were found to be broken and the election commission said that counting there would be held later.

Out of the 75 municipalities, the BJP has won 47, the Congress in nine, independent candidates have emerged as a majority block in nine municipalities while no party could manage majority in 10 municipalities. BJP has won 1,142 out of 1,905 seats across all municipalities while Congress won 442 seats and independent won 290 seats.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) also made inroads by winning 13 and 16 seats respectively, whereas Samajwadi Party (SP) has won 2 seats. Gujarat Parivartan Party led by Keshubhai Patel claimed that 54 of the independents who won were its candidates.

"If the SEC had provided us a common symbol in the municipal elections, we would have been able to win more seats," party general secretary Gordhan Zadafia said. Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, elated by the victory, coming it within couple of months after victory in the assembly elections, said, "Thankful to people of Gujarat for the continued faith in us. Congrats to BJP workers for major win in municipalities polls".

State BJP spokesperson IK Jadeja said that besides retaining all the Municipalities where BJP was in power, the party has snatched 10 from the ruling Congress party. Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee president Arjun Modhwadia said, "Congress fought on party symbol in 57 of the 75 municipalities while elsewhere, it contested the polls by forming 'nagrik samitis'. Actually, Congress has won 19 and lost another 10 by only 2 or 3 seats. The BJP fought on party symbol and misused the state machinery during the polls".

(With Additional Inputs From PTI)

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