Congress candidate withdraws from Vadodara civic polls, BJP wins ward unopposed

In Gujarat, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation elections took a dramatic turn on Wednesday after a Congress candidate withdrew his nomination on the final day, resulting in a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee being declared elected unopposed.

Kanu Prajapati, the Indian National Congress candidate from Ward No. 11, withdrew his papers, paving the way for BJP candidate Upendra alias Vishnu Prajapati to secure the seat without a contest. The development is being seen as the BJP’s first confirmed win in the civic polls.

Sources said Prajapati had been under political pressure over the past few days to withdraw his candidature. Local Congress leaders, sensing the situation, reportedly approached him in an attempt to persuade him to stay in the fray and later took him to the party’s state unit office in Ahmedabad.

However, Prajapati eventually withdrew his nomination on Wednesday. Speaking after the withdrawal, he denied any political pressure, stating that his decision was influenced by dissatisfaction over being allotted a ticket from Ward No. 11 instead of his preferred Ward No. 10.

The episode has triggered discontent within the Vadodara Congress unit, with party workers expressing disappointment over the development, which comes just days ahead of polling.

In a separate development, all candidates, including those from the Congress, withdrew their nominations from the Ranoli seat of the Vadodara District Panchayat. As a result, BJP candidate Kairaviba Jadeja was also declared elected unopposed.