29-year-old Rupsinh Thakor appointed as youngest Mayor of Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation

Rupsinh Thakor, aged 29, has been selected as the youngest Mayor in the history of the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation. According to a report by ABP Asmita, Rupsinh Thakor won from Ward Number 4 with a margin of over 7,000 votes. Following its victory in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation elections, the BJP has now announced the name of the Mayor. Along with this, Anjanaben Mehta has been appointed as the Deputy Mayor, while Mahendra Patel has been selected for the post of Standing Committee Chairman.

Elections were held for all 44 seats across a total of 11 wards of the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation. A total of 130 candidates contested this electoral battle. Election Commission data shows that an average of 59.25% of the approximately 2.59 lakh registered voters in the municipal area cast their votes. In the election results, the BJP emerged as the most powerful party. The BJP won a total of 38 seats, which is 3 seats fewer compared to the October 2021 elections, where the BJP held 41 seats. However, the BJP's position remains strong compared to the opposition.

On the other hand, these elections have provided relief for the Congress. Having won only 2 seats in the previous election, the Congress has increased its tally to 5 seats this time. Additionally, an independent candidate won 1 seat. The results have been negative for the Aam Aadmi Party. Having opened its account by winning 1 seat in 2021, 'AAP' has been thrown out this time with zero seats.

According to a BBC Gujarati report, the BJP's strategy and political calculations behind the selection of Rupsinh Thakor have become a subject of discussion. Rupsinh Thakor is a resident of Indroda in Gandhinagar and is involved in the building construction business. His family has already been associated with the BJP, as stated by Mahesh Vyas, a leader of the 'Gandhinagar Vikas Mandal'. Rupsinh passed Class 10 from Jayprakash Vidyalaya in Gandhinagar. He is a father of two children, and his wife, Sonalben, is a homemaker. Coming from the Thakor community, Rupsinh also holds influence within his community.

Political analysts are viewing this selection from various perspectives. Senior journalist Padmakant Trivedi, speaking to the BBC, stated that by promoting Rupsinh Thakor, the BJP has killed two birds with one stone. The Thakor community has a stronger dominance in the South and North assembly seats of Gandhinagar, so this decision will send a clear message to the community that they are represented. This decision may also impact the seats of Mansa, Kalol, and Dahegam. According to political analyst Praful Trivedi, the selection of Rupsinh, who worked in the Thakor Sena for years, is an attempt to reserve Thakor voters. Citing the example of Kanaji Thakor's selection as Mayor in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in 2008, he said that it increased the BJP's vote share in the majority areas of North Gujarat. Praful Trivedi also mentioned that the BJP may have laid this groundwork for the assembly elections to be held next year.

Clarifying this, BJP co-spokesperson Ashwin Banker said that there is no attempt to arrange political calculations behind the selection of Rupsinh Thakor, but rather an opportunity has been given to the youth. He further added that as per the election planning, since the first term of the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation is reserved for OBC, Rupsinh Thakor has been selected as an OBC leader.

Meanwhile, the Congress refused to make any direct comment on this selection, but counter-attacked by saying, "Watch the oil and watch the flow of the oil, the reason for this selection by the BJP will be revealed to everyone in a short while."

Apart from Gandhinagar, new office-bearers have also been appointed in Thara and Okha municipalities. In Thara municipality, importance has been given to women's leadership, where Ashwiniben Thakkar has been selected as President and Jashiben Patel as Vice President. In Okha municipality, Hadabha B. Manek has been appointed as President and Alanahasan Them as Vice President. Additionally, Ushaben Gohil has been selected as Executive Chairman and Nihar Modi as the leader of the ruling party, while Bhavya Bipin Chavda was unanimously appointed as the whip. The appointment meeting at Okha was held under the chairmanship of the District BJP and MLA Pabubha Manek, in the presence of the provincial officer and Chief Officer.