Gujarat Politics: Congress, AAP Allege Pressure on Candidates Ahead of Gandhinagar Civic Polls | Indian Rajneeti
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Gujarat Politics: Congress, AAP Allege Pressure on Candidates Ahead of Gandhinagar Civic Polls
Haripriya 29 Sept 2026 5 min read 101 views
Gujarat Politics: Political tensions have intensified ahead of the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation election, with Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accusing the BJP government in Gujarat of misusing government machinery, police and the Election Commission to pressure opposition candidates.
The BJP has rejected the allegations as baseless and accused the opposition of targeting constitutional institutions. The dispute has emerged ahead of the October 11 Gandhinagar civic election, with September 29 being the final date for withdrawal of nominations.
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The Congress has submitted a memorandum to the Gujarat State Election (opens in a new tab) Commission alleging that BJP-linked pressure was being used against its candidates and their family members.
According to the party's memorandum, Congress candidates from Wards 6 and 7, along with relatives, were allegedly being pressured by local police and Crime Branch personnel to withdraw their nomination papers.
Congress described the alleged actions as intimidation and an abuse of government power. These allegations have been made by the Congress and have not been independently established in the reports cited here.
Congress Moves 44 Candidates to Undisclosed Location
The controversy follows the Congress decision to move all 44 of its Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation candidates to an undisclosed location.
Congress leaders said the move was intended to protect candidates from possible political pressure, inducements or attempts to persuade them to withdraw their nominations before the deadline.
The BJP has rejected the allegations and questioned the Congress decision to keep its candidates together at a secure location.
AAP Questions Rejection of Candidate's Nomination
The Aam Aadmi Party has separately raised objections over the rejection of the nomination of its candidate Jitendra Chauhan from Ward 5.
AAP spokesperson Karan Barot said Chauhan had submitted his nomination along with the required documents and received an acknowledgement, but his nomination was subsequently rejected because election officials found that the required party mandate was missing.
AAP has alleged that the rejection was politically motivated and said there were attempts to prevent its candidates from contesting. These are allegations made by AAP; the cited reports do not establish political interference as the reason for the rejection.
BJP Rejects Opposition Allegations
The BJP has rejected the allegations made by Congress and AAP.
Gujarat BJP chief spokesperson Anil Patel described the Congress allegations as baseless and accused the opposition of attempting to discredit constitutional institutions.
The BJP has also rejected claims of forced withdrawals and said the opposition raises such allegations when it faces electoral challenges. These statements represent the BJP's response to the accusations.
44 Seats in Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation
The Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation election covers 44 seats across 11 wards.
The BJP and Congress have fielded candidates across all 44 seats, while AAP has also entered the contest extensively. A total of 203 nomination papers were filed before scrutiny.
The New Indian Express reported that BJP and Congress each filed nominations for all 44 seats, while AAP filed candidates for 42 seats. After scrutiny, the rejection of AAP's Ward 5 nomination became one of the issues in the political dispute.
BJP Also Faces Internal Dissent
The civic election has also seen internal differences within the BJP over ticket distribution.
According to the New Indian Express, more than 750 aspirants had submitted biodatas before the BJP finalised its candidates. Several BJP workers subsequently filed nominations as independents after not receiving party tickets.
Among those reported to have entered the contest independently are former BJP corporator Nila Shukla from Ward 5 and other former party-linked local representatives.
The last date for withdrawal of nominations is September 29, after which the final candidate list will become clearer.
Gandhinagar Election Schedule
The Gujarat State Election Commission has scheduled voting for the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation election on October 11, 2026.
The election schedule is:
Nomination filing: September 26, 2026
Scrutiny: September 28, 2026
Withdrawal deadline: September 29, 2026
Polling: October 11, 2026
Repolling, if required: October 12, 2026
Counting: October 13, 2026
The Gandhinagar civic body has 44 seats across 11 wards.
Gandhinagar Civic Polls and Gujarat Politics
The Gandhinagar election is attracting wider attention because it comes ahead of the 2027 Gujarat Assembly Election.
The BJP, Congress and AAP are all participating in the civic contest, making the election an important part of the current political activity in Gujarat.
The previous Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation election in 2021 resulted in the BJP winning 41 of 44 seats, while Congress won two and AAP won one. The two Congress councillors subsequently joined the BJP, taking the BJP's strength in the corporation to 43.
Election Process Becomes Political Issue
The latest dispute has brought the functioning of the electoral process into the centre of the Gandhinagar campaign.
Congress has raised allegations concerning police pressure and nomination withdrawals, while AAP has questioned the rejection of one of its candidates. The BJP has rejected these accusations and defended the functioning of constitutional institutions.
At this stage, the allegations from the opposition and the BJP's responses should be distinguished from independently established findings.
Gujarat Politics Ahead of 2027
The Gandhinagar civic election is taking place against the broader backdrop of preparations for the 2027 Gujarat Assembly Election.
Political parties are focusing on candidate selection, organisational mobilisation, local issues and voter outreach. The current controversy over nominations and alleged political pressure has added another issue to the civic election campaign.
The final candidate list following the September 29 withdrawal deadline will provide a clearer picture of the contest before voting on October 11.
Conclusion
The Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation election has triggered a political dispute after Congress and AAP accused the BJP government of using police and election machinery to pressure opposition candidates or reject nominations.
Congress has moved its 44 candidates to an undisclosed location, while AAP has objected to the rejection of its Ward 5 candidate's nomination. The BJP has rejected the allegations and described them as baseless.
With 44 seats across 11 wards, voting scheduled for October 11 and counting on October 13, the Gandhinagar civic contest has become a significant development in Gujarat politics ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.
Latest Update: September 29, 2026
“The Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation election has become a political flashpoint after Congress and AAP raised allegations concerning pressure on opposition candidates and the rejection of an AAP nomination. The BJP has rejected the allegations, while the September 29 withdrawal deadline and October 11 polling date remain key milestones in the 44-seat civic election.”
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