BJP accused of bribing Congress candidates to pull out from local body elections

BJP in Upleta, Rajkot, have been reportedly accused of bribing Congress candidates to pull out from the local government body elections in Gujarat. The Opposition has alleged that their candidates were offered ₹10 lakh each to back away from the contest.

The Grand Old Party also accused the ruling party's municipalities of sending encroachment notices to Congress candidates to intimidate the candidates.

After the scrutiny of nomination forms for the municipality, taluka, and district panchayat elections, the BJP has already secured some seats ‘unopposed’. 

The Congress has cried foul, raising concerns over the fairness and transparency of the elections, alleging that the BJP has used police and administrative influence to intimidate and force Congress candidates to withdraw their nominations.

In Junagadh, 9 out of 60 Congress candidates withdrew their nominations in support of the BJP. So, before the elections, BJP candidates in two wards secured 8 seats unopposed. In Ward No 12, a Congress candidate withdrew, but since other candidates are contesting, the seat will not be unopposed. 

Out of the 28 seats in Bhachau Municipality’s 7 wards, 11 seats were already secured by the BJP before the election process began. 

Whether due to administrative influence or Congress’s internal issues, only 17 Congress candidates remain in the fray. However, internal sources from BJP claim that a majority of these remaining Congress candidates are in touch with them. 

There are even claims that by the final withdrawal deadline on Tuesday, most of the 17 remaining Congress candidates—except for one or two—might also withdraw. All 28 BJP candidates’ nominations have been validated, and the official picture of BJP’s pre-election strategy in Bhachau will become clear soon.

In Dharampur Municipality (Valsad district), despite Congress ruling for three decades, the party faces strong public resentment due to a lack of development. 

Instead of seeking votes on the basis of progress, BJP has allegedly used tactics of persuasion, coercion, and pressure to eliminate Congress and opposition candidates.  

In Ward No 1, four Congress candidates, and in Ward No 3, one Congress candidate, have gone missing. Instead of campaigning, Congress leaders are spending day and night searching for these five missing candidates while accusing BJP of playing dirty politics, which has heated up the political atmosphere in Dharampur.

In Kodinar Municipality, a former BJP MP allegedly formed an illegal committee, disrupting the election environment. Moreover, in Mansa Municipality (Gandhinagar), a BJP MLA exerted continuous political pressure on Congress candidates to force them to withdraw their nominations.  

In Halvad Municipality, Congress candidates have reportedly been receiving threats since Sunday night. As a result, they had no choice but to request police protection. However, after receiving no appropriate response from the police, they submitted a formal complaint to the sub-divisional magistrate.

In Bilimora Municipality, the election officer has been accused of making unconstitutional remarks in favour of the BJP. 

Meanwhile, in Jodhpur Taluka Panchayat (Mahisagar district), despite Congress filing a detailed objection regarding a BJP candidate’s caste certificate, the election officer made a one-sided decision to approve the BJP candidate’s nomination. Consequently, Congress plans to escalate the matter to the state election commission.