Ahmedabad: While the saffron flag of BJP was flying high in the just-concluded elections of municipal corporations, two parties that came into the limelight were Aam Aadmi Party and Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM. Both these parties opened their account in Ahmedabad and Surat. Now both the parties have trained their eyes on the coming Sunday’s elections of municipalities, district and taluka panchayats. AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi had addressed election rallies in three districts – Bharuch, Godhra in Panchmahal and Modasa in Aravali.
Though both the parties won less number of seats, nevertheless they have caught public attention. In the Bharuch district, AIMIM and the Bharatiya Tribal Party are contesting elections jointly. Aam Aadmi Party too has fielded its candidates there. Two candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party and 30 candidates of BTP-AIMIM are contesting the Bharuch district panchayat election. In the last election, Congress and BTP had entered a post-election pact and tasted power in Bharuch district panchayat. The pact no more exists in this election. Now BTP-AIMIM have entered into an alliance and have together fielded 30 candidates of them 29 belong to the BTM and only one to AIMIM.
Aam Aadmi Party is contesting for just two seats of the total 34-member district panchayat. AIMIM and AAP have also fielded candidates in 182 seats of nine taluka panchayats of Bharuch district – Ankleshwar, Hansot, Jhagadia, Valia, Netrang, Vagra, Jambusar and Amod. In the taluka panchayat election, AIMIM has fielded 6 and Aam Aadmi Party 13 candidates.
In the four municipalities of Bharuch district, Bharuch, Ankleshwar, Amod and Jambusar too, both Aam Aadmi Party and AIMIM have fielded their candidates. AIMIM has fielded candidates on four of the total 44 seats of the Bharuch municipality while Aam Aadmi Party is contesting on 12 seats. AIMIM is not contesting in the remaining three municipalities. However, the Aam Aadmi Party has put up its candidate on two seats of Ankleshwar.
Both Aam Aadmi Party and AIMIM have fielded their candidates in Panchmahal district’s municipalities and taluka panchayats. Two municipalities of Panchmahal district, Shahera and Godhra are going to the polls. In Godhra, the election will be held for 44 members of 11 wards of the municipality. In the 2015 election, BJP had won 19 seats, Congress one and 24 seats had gone to independents. In the first two and half years, the municipality was ruled by independents but in the second two and a half years, eight independent members had supported BJP and of them four had even joined BJP. In Shehra municipality, election will be held for 24 seats of 6 wards. In the 2015 election, BJP had won 21 seats while Congress won three. Thus, it was controlled by the BJP. This time, AIMIM has fielded 8 candidates in the Godhra municipality election and is not contesting any district and taluka panchayat elections in the Panchmahal district. It has fielded candidates in the Muslim area of Godhra town.
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Aam Aadmi Party has fielded 47 candidates in the municipality, district and taluka panchayat elections. In Godhra municipality, AAP is contesting on 7 wards. In the Panchmahal district, AAP has fielded candidates in all taluka panchayat elections except in Shehra taluka panchayat.
The election for Modasa municipality of Aravali district is expected to be a tough contest. In the arena are candidates of BJP, Congress, AIMIM, AAP and a large number of independents. In Modasa municipal election, AIMIM has fielded 12 candidates on three wards, Nos 6,7 and 8. In Modasa there will be a direct contest between AIMIM and Congress. AAP has put up four candidates on Ward nos 1,7,8 and 9.
For the Aravali district panchayat election, AAP has put up 12 candidates from out of a total of 30 seats. These include 5 candidates for 7 seats of Bhiloda, 3 candidates for 5 seats of Meghraj, two candidates for six seats of Bayad and two candidates for five seats of Modasa.
