The ruling BJP in Gujarat on Tuesday retained control in the urban areas by getting majority in 15 of the total 27 municipalities that went to the polls.
This comes to the BJP about two months after a serious drubbing in the rural belt to the Congress in elections to local self-government bodies held in November-December last year.
The BJP won 395 of 660 seats in 27 municipalities across 21 districts.
While the party got a clear majority in 15 municipalities on its own, it was locked in a tie with the Congress in Sutrapada municipality, the constituency of Agriculture Minister Jasabhai Barad. The BJP and the Congress bagged 12 each of the 24 seats.
The Congress won eight municipalities, while the Nationalist Congress Party, the Samajwadi Party and an Independent won one municipality each.
"The Congress has not even been able to open its account in Savli, Kathlal, Thasra, Bayad, Bhabhar and Damnagar municipalities. Today's results have proved that the Congress has no place in the hearts of the people and with this verdict its dreams of winning the state in 2017 have been shattered," said an elated BJP spokesperson I.K. Jadeja.
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Interestingly, the Congress registered a victory in Saurashtra region, generally considered a stronghold of the BJP.
Of the 11 municipalities in Saurashtra, the Congress won one, while the BJP got 3, with one tied and one going to the NCP.
The BJP has done well in the rest of the state, where it won 12 of the 16 municipalities, with the Congress winning 2, the Samajwadi Party one, and one going to an Independent.