<p>Ahmedabad: Polling for the crucial local body elections in Gujarat will be held on Sunday. A key grassroots-level contest a year ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, its outcome is said to be significant for the political parties.</p>.<p>The elections are being held for 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats. The number of seats to go for polling is 9,992 and the number of voters are 4.19 crore. </p>.<p>Out of these seats, results for 730 have already been declared uncontested, with BJP winning them after rival candidates withdrew their nominations.</p>.Gujarat local polls: AAP's rise eclipses BJP as Congress' bigger worry .<p>While the ruling BJP has been dominating these self-governing bodies, the results are expected to have a broader impact on the opposition Congress and particularly the future of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).</p>.<p>AAP, with its aggressive campaigning, had been stealing the limelight compared to a lacklustre Congress. However, the party’s momentum suffered a major setback after seven of its MPs, led by Raghav Chadha, resigned and joined BJP in New Delhi.</p>.<p>Whether it will have any impact in Gujarat or not will be known only on April 28, when the results will be announced. Meanwhile, AAP suffered another blow after its social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram were blocked. </p>.<p>The party blamed BJP for it and claimed that since its accounts were being viewed widely, those were blocked. The reasons are said to be infringement of copyright violations as some of the posts had clips of Gujarati movies without permission of the filmmakers.</p>.<p>AAP leadership has been focusing on Patidar votes in Saurashtra and the tribal belt. The party has Gopal Italia, a Patidar leader and MLA from Visavadar in Junagadh, and Chaitar Vasava, an MLA from Dediapada, who are popular and have cultivated support base.</p>.<p>Unlike the opposition Congress, AAP senior leaders have been actively campaigning in Gujarat for several months, led by the party’s national convener, Arvind Kejriwal. The party also deployed leaders such as MP Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia to campaign in Surat, which is considered "ground zero" for AAP. </p>.<p>In the 2021 elections, the party won 27 seats in the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), marking its first significant electoral success in Gujarat. The party replaced the Congress as the main opposition party. The victory was largely attributed to the support from the Patidar community, something the party hopes to replicate.</p>.Senior AAP leaders on Gujarat tour to strengthen organisation.<p>"I think AAP has found some support in the city among migrants from Saurashtra as well as those from states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, AAP is likely to have some impact. There is also an undercurrent in its favour, as its rallies, compared to those of the BJP, have been drawing large crowds,” said Virang Bhatt, a Surat-based journalist.</p>.<p>A worrying trend for BJP in Surat, its stronghold, has been the public protests against its leaders. Over the past week, during campaigning, BJP leaders were stopped from entering several residential societies over neglect of civic issues.</p>.<p>"BJP leaders had to face many such protests, but we can’t say for sure how much these will translate into votes against the party,” Bhatt added.</p>
<p>Ahmedabad: Polling for the crucial local body elections in Gujarat will be held on Sunday. A key grassroots-level contest a year ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, its outcome is said to be significant for the political parties.</p>.<p>The elections are being held for 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats. The number of seats to go for polling is 9,992 and the number of voters are 4.19 crore. </p>.<p>Out of these seats, results for 730 have already been declared uncontested, with BJP winning them after rival candidates withdrew their nominations.</p>.Gujarat local polls: AAP's rise eclipses BJP as Congress' bigger worry .<p>While the ruling BJP has been dominating these self-governing bodies, the results are expected to have a broader impact on the opposition Congress and particularly the future of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).</p>.<p>AAP, with its aggressive campaigning, had been stealing the limelight compared to a lacklustre Congress. However, the party’s momentum suffered a major setback after seven of its MPs, led by Raghav Chadha, resigned and joined BJP in New Delhi.</p>.<p>Whether it will have any impact in Gujarat or not will be known only on April 28, when the results will be announced. Meanwhile, AAP suffered another blow after its social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram were blocked. </p>.<p>The party blamed BJP for it and claimed that since its accounts were being viewed widely, those were blocked. The reasons are said to be infringement of copyright violations as some of the posts had clips of Gujarati movies without permission of the filmmakers.</p>.<p>AAP leadership has been focusing on Patidar votes in Saurashtra and the tribal belt. The party has Gopal Italia, a Patidar leader and MLA from Visavadar in Junagadh, and Chaitar Vasava, an MLA from Dediapada, who are popular and have cultivated support base.</p>.<p>Unlike the opposition Congress, AAP senior leaders have been actively campaigning in Gujarat for several months, led by the party’s national convener, Arvind Kejriwal. The party also deployed leaders such as MP Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia to campaign in Surat, which is considered "ground zero" for AAP. </p>.<p>In the 2021 elections, the party won 27 seats in the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), marking its first significant electoral success in Gujarat. The party replaced the Congress as the main opposition party. The victory was largely attributed to the support from the Patidar community, something the party hopes to replicate.</p>.Senior AAP leaders on Gujarat tour to strengthen organisation.<p>"I think AAP has found some support in the city among migrants from Saurashtra as well as those from states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, AAP is likely to have some impact. There is also an undercurrent in its favour, as its rallies, compared to those of the BJP, have been drawing large crowds,” said Virang Bhatt, a Surat-based journalist.</p>.<p>A worrying trend for BJP in Surat, its stronghold, has been the public protests against its leaders. Over the past week, during campaigning, BJP leaders were stopped from entering several residential societies over neglect of civic issues.</p>.<p>"BJP leaders had to face many such protests, but we can’t say for sure how much these will translate into votes against the party,” Bhatt added.</p>