The results of the Gujarat civic polls paved a comeback for the Congress party in the state as it won several district and taluka panchayats, while the BJP kept a hold on the six municipal corporations.
The counting on Wednesday was watched keenly as it came after the Patidar protest against the ruling BJP government in the state.
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel had rallied across the state ahead of the elections, while the Hardik Patel-led Patidar protesters had called for voters to vote against the BJP.
Voting in six municipal corporations was conducted on 26 November, and polling in 31 district panchayats, 230 taluka panchayats and 56 municipalities was held on 29 November.
One of the big wins for Congress came in the district panchayat election in Mehsana, which is the home district of PM Narendra Modi as well as of Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel.
The BJP won in all six municipal corporations - Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar.
UPDATES:
5:11 pm IST: The Congress has won the district and panchayat polls in Vadodara.
4:49 pm IST: The BJP has put the blame for its dismal show in the rural areas of Gujarat on the Congress party's social engineering'.
"The BJP has done work in rural areas. But with the kind of social engineering done by the Congress of late, the results for the BJP are below expectation," BJP vice-president I K Jadeja told Hindustan Times
4:42 pm IST: The Congress has won 20 out of 31 district panchayats.
4:02 pm IST: The Bharatiya Janata Party has won all six municipal corporations - Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, CNN-IBN reported.
3:35 pm IST: BJP workers have begun celebrations in Ahmedabad, where the party is set to win the municipal corporation election.
2:45 pm IST: The Congress party has crushed the BJP in the Morbi municipal election. According to The Hindu, the Congress may win 20 of the 31 district panchayats.
2:05 pm IST: The BJP is holding a strong lead in all six municipal corporations, as evident by the figures shown below.
1:47 pm IST: The Congress party has reportedly won the district panchayat in Mehsana, which is the home district of PM Narendra Modi as well as of Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel.
1:35 pm IST: The Congress is steadily winning several district panchayats in the state, including in Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Morbi.
1:04 pm IST: The Congress has won in Narendra Modi's home district of Mehasana, CNN-IBN has reported.
12:26 pm IST: The Congress party has won the Rajkot district panchayat, according to The Indian Express.
12:00 pm IST: While the BJP is leading in all six municipal corporations, the Congress is close behind in Vadodara and Rajkot.
11:47 am IST: The BJP has taken lead in all six municipal corporations in Gujarat - Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar.
The BJP has also reportedly won a seat in the home ward of Hardik Patel, the leader of the Patidar agitation in the state.
11:13 am IST: The Congress has taken a lead in Vadodara, while the BJP is still holding strong in Ahmedabad.
Congress is also leading in Bhavnagar.
10:38 am IST: The Congress party has lost its lead in Surat, as the BJP has pushed ahead in 33 seats, according to CNN-IBN.
10:25 am IST: The BJP has now jumped ahead in Rajkot, leading in 18 seats.
10:09 am IST: The BJP is leading in 17 seats in Vadodara, while the Congress is leading in 30 in Surat.
10:04 am IST: The Congress and BJP are neck-to-neck in Rajkot, with BJP leading in 12 seats and the INC in 10.
9:50 am IST: According to reports, the Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar. The Congress party has taken a lead in Surat.
