Gandhinagar, May 17 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the BJP’s sweeping performance in Gujarat’s recent local body elections reflected the people’s trust in development-oriented governance, while asserting that both the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had been decisively rejected by voters.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating and laying foundation stones for development projects worth Rs 620 crore under the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation, HM Shah said the BJP’s electoral success was rooted in the party workers’ continuous engagement with the public and their focus on resolving civic issues.

He said the uninterrupted journey of development initiated in Gujarat by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been carried forward by the government led by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

“Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation and the state government had jointly undertaken works related to drinking water supply, sewage treatment, lake beautification, roads, libraries, health facilities and yoga centres,” he said.

Referring to the local self-government elections in Gujarat, HM Shah said the BJP’s victories demonstrated people’s confidence in the party’s governance and development agenda.

“In the recent local body elections, Congress was completely wiped out. Even if we search with binoculars, Congress cannot be seen,” he said.

Criticising AAP, the Home Minister indicated that opposition parties had failed to gain public support despite repeated claims of electoral gains.

“In Delhi, they themselves got wiped out, and here they could not even open their account,” he said.

He said the BJP had secured victories across municipal corporations, municipalities, district panchayats and taluka panchayats in the state.

HM Shah said elections had been held in all municipal corporations and the BJP had won every one of them. “Out of 84 municipalities, the BJP won 77, while the party also secured victories in 33 out of 34 district panchayats and 253 out of 260 taluka panchayats,” he said.

He said the people’s support was linked to the conduct of BJP workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

HM Shah stated that party workers worked among people without concern for their own safety, delivering food kits, helping patients reach hospitals, arranging testing facilities and managing vaccination lines.

“Many workers themselves came under the grip of the coronavirus, and some lost their lives, but they continued to serve the people,” he said.

The Home Minister said this approach had created a strong sense of trust among citizens. He described the BJP’s political strength in Gujarat as being built on “continuous public contact and service rather than temporary campaigns”.

During the event, HM Shah also inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects including urban health centres, overhead water tanks, community halls, road development works, sports facilities, sewage treatment infrastructure and internal roads in newly developing areas of Gandhinagar.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who was present at the event, said: “The state government aimed to develop pollution-free, garbage-free and slum-free cities with green infrastructure and sustainable urban planning.”

The programme was attended by State Urban Development Minister Darshanaben Vaghela, MLA Alpesh Thakor, Gandhinagar Mayor Miraben Patel and senior officials of the municipal corporation and district administration.

–IANS

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