Gujarat local body polls: Congress finds its footing after saffron slide

Ahmedabad: Five years after being buried under a saffron landslide in 2021, the Gujarat Congress seems to be finally emerging from the rubble. The party has improved its numbers in key cities and made inroads in new urban regions, though its losses in rural areas reveal a split performance. While it has not been able to better its seat tally compared to 2021 elections, Congress was forced into a gritty fight with AAP to protect its status as the primary opposition.

In the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), Congress improved its tally to 32 seats, up from 24 in 2021. The party also dealt a setback to AIMIM by winning back all seats in Jamalpur and Makhtampura wards, areas where it had earlier lost ground.




A similar trend played out in Rajkot, where Congress increased its strength from four to seven seats. The gains were helped by a clean sweep in Ward 16, where local resentment over recent demolitions appeared to influence voters. In Surat, where the party had failed to win even a single seat in 2021, it finally managed to open its account with one seat.

Some of the most notable gains came in newly formed municipal corporations. Congress secured 11 seats each in Vapi and Gandhidham, while in Karamsad, it won eight seats.

However, Congress continues to lose ground in rural Gujarat. Its tally in district panchayats fell from 169 seats in 2021 to 135 in 2026. Similarly, its strength in taluka panchayats dropped from 1,252 seats to 1,050.

Within the party, there is a growing belief that the declining influence of smaller parties such as AAP and AIMIM in rural and tribal regions has helped consolidate anti-BJP votes in their favour in some areas. Congress leaders argue that this shift has made contests more direct.

Party spokesperson Manish Doshi said the 2026 elections indicate a move towards a bipolar contest. He pointed to what he described as a "comeback" in parts of the Aravalli tribal belt, even though the party did not win everywhere. "In earlier elections, multi-cornered contests often saw third parties drawing away 3,000 to 4,000 votes, allowing BJP to win by margins as narrow as 1,000 votes. This time such vote-splitting was significantly reduced," he said.

He added that in districts like Chhota Udepur, Dahod and Panchmahal — even where BJP candidates won — the contests were largely direct, with AAP's presence fading. "The biggest gain is that Congress workers have been infused with a fighting spirit again." With an eye on the 2027 elections, the party has begun reviewing its organisation and campaign strategy, hoping to build on these scattered gains and turn them into a broader revival.
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