Congress leaders move court alleging vote counting irregularities In Vadodara ward 1 election

Fresh controversy has erupted over the Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s 2026 civic election results after allegations of irregularities in the vote counting process for Ward No 1 surfaced. Former Congress opposition leader Ami Rawat and Nikul Patel have approached the court demanding a recount of votes.

An election petition has been filed before the Principal Senior Civil Judge’s court in Vadodara. Advocates Jagdev Parmar and Aakib Rathod, appearing for the petitioners, submitted the plea under Section 17 of the GPMC Act, 1949, alleging that election officials violated procedures while preparing the final result sheet during counting on April 28, 2026.

According to the petition, the original result sheet had declared Pushpaben Vaghela as the winner. However, the petitioners alleged that a revised sheet was later prepared under pressure from the ruling party, after which independent candidate Harish Patel was declared elected by a margin of just 31 votes.

The plea further claimed that altering the original result sheet and issuing a new one amounted to an illegal act.

The petitioners have sought a fresh recount of all votes cast in Ward No 1, arguing that a proper recount would reverse the 31-vote margin and result in the victory of Pushpaben Vaghela and Ami Rawat. They have also urged the court to cancel the election result entirely if collusion between election officials and members of the ruling party is established.