The results of the 76 seats of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) polls on Tuesday threw up surprises and upsets, although the BJP managed to retain its 69 seats — the exact number it had won in 2021.
Among the major highlights of VMC polls was the election of Ward 15 — where suspended BJP corporator from the previous term, Ashish Joshi retained his seat with a thumping victory as a Congress candidate. His victory did not come without drama as a team of the Gujarat police, which is “on the lookout” for Joshi, had arrived at his residence to arrest him for his alleged involvement in a case under the Prohibition Act lodged at Sankheda police station in Chhota Udepur on April 25.
However, as per the procedure, the police are required to serve a notice on Joshi to join the probe. A person, who was arrested along with a stash of liquor valued at Rs 3.96 lakh in Sankheda, had named Joshi in his statement. The accused was granted bail without seeking a police remand.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Joshi said, “Of course, since I am named in the FIR, the arrest is inevitable. This is not the first time they (BJP) are trying to push me against the wall. They also tried to frame me in a case of land-grabbing last year but the inquiry wound up on its own… Since the people of the city have chosen me as their representative, I will continue to fight for the truth. My win is the victory of truth and I truly believe that the 12 innocent children, who are victims of the Harni boat tragedy, are blessing me…”
Senior officials of the Gujarat police confirmed that Joshi’s arrest is “impending” but it would be “done in accordance with law”.
Ward 15, which had also polled in the maximum of 56% votes on April 26, is home to most of the victims of the January 2024 Harni Boat Tragedy that killed 14 persons, including 12 students and 2 teachers of the New Sunrise School which is located in the same ward. Joshi, who has been fighting for justice for the Harni boat victims, was suspended from the BJP on ground of “indiscipline” in May 2025, days after two mothers of the victims had interrupted Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel at an event in the city.
Joshi, who contested from the General Category seat of Ward 15, bagged a total of 18,684 votes– the highest secured by any contestant in the ward. BJP’s three winners include Jyoti Dinesh Pandya with 17,837 votes, Ajay Rabari with 17,716 votes and Nayna Shah with 17,651 votes. Congress’ losing candidate Neelam Shrivastav — daughter of six-term former BJP MLA from Waghodia Madhu Shrivastava– bagged 15,202 votes. A total of 10 candidates contested in this ward, including four candidates each from BJP and Congress and two from the AIMIM. Of the total 1,35,829 votes cast, 712 were polled in favour of NOTA.
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Joshi’s win in Ward 15 as well as the win of Deepa Shrivastava– the second daughter of Madhu Shrivastava — in Ward 14 pulled an upset for the BJP in the two wards, where it had enjoyed a clean sweep in the 2021 polls.
Congress pays heavy price in Ward 1
Veteran Congress leader Chandrakant Srivastava retained his seat from Ward 16 for a ninth consecutive term, remaining undefeated since 1987. However, Congress veteran leader and two-term corporator Balkrishna Surve from Ward 13 lost to the BJP candidate.
The Congress, which had won seven seats in 2021, has been reduced to six seats, mainly due to the upset in Ward 1, where it had won with the panel of four candidates in 2021. This time, the BJP and a Congress rebel candidate pulled a major upset for the Congress, which won only one of the four seats it had won in 2021. Two-term Congress corporator Ami Ravat lost while Pushpa Vaghela retained her seat for a fifth consecutive term. The BJP has won two seats in the ward while former Congress corporator Harish Patel, who won as an independent candidate after being denied ticket by the Congress.
The Vadodara unit of the Congress had surprised everyone by fielding three women from Ward 1. The party had dropped sitting corporator Harish Patel from Ward 1, leading him entering the contest as an independent candidate.
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The Congress, in a departure from usual practice, has fielded three women from its bastion of Ward 1 of Vadodara city. This included two outgoing corporators– Pushpsa Vaghela for the General Woman seat as well as Ami Ravat from the General Seat. The party has fielded Sona Jaha Desai– wife of outgoing corporator Jaha Desai, to fill up the reserved seat of OBC woman in the Ward while the reserved ST Seat has been filled by Nikul Patel. Harish Patel, known to be a close aide of BJP Viramgam MLA Hardik Patel, expressed his “displeasure” over the selection of candidates and filed the nomination as an independent candidate. Harish Patel had also blamed the Congress party brass for “handing out tickets to undeserving candidates”.
For the BJP, winning two seats in Ward 1 is a major victory. Even so, as its candidate Bhursinh Rathwa, who has won from the reserved ST-category seat of this ward was fielded at the last minute when the original candidate Raag Machhar’s name was found missing from the electoral rolls following the SIR exercise. BJP’s Kundan Tailor has also won from the OBC Woman reserved seat from this ward along with Rathwa.
