Jagdish Vishwakarma claimed that nearly 700 candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party have been elected unopposed across Gujarat ahead of the 2026 local self-government elections.
The deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended on April 15, following which the party asserted it had already secured around 700 seats without contest. These seats are spread across multiple tiers of local governance, including municipalities, taluka panchayats and district panchayats.
If officially confirmed, the development would provide the BJP with a significant early advantage ahead of polling.
Addressing election meetings in Gariyadhar and Palitana in Bhavnagar district, Vishwakarma attributed the outcome to public trust and the party’s organisational strength. He alleged that opposition parties either withdrew from the contest or failed to field viable candidates.
Criticising the Indian National Congress, he said, “Congress has neither vision nor mission; their only agenda is to mislead the people.” He added that while the BJP focuses on development, the opposition spreads “negativity, rumours and lies” and limits itself to making promises.
In his address, Vishwakarma drew a contrast between past and present conditions in the Saurashtra region, stating that earlier women had to travel three to four kilometres to fetch water, and the electricity supply was irregular, particularly in the evenings.
“Today, under the BJP government, tap water has reached every household and regular electricity is being supplied,” he said.
He also criticised opposition legislators, alleging they do not raise public issues in the Assembly and instead circulate misleading information on social media. Continuing his attack on the Congress, he said the party lacks both direction and intent and relies on “negativity, rumours and falsehoods”.
Highlighting what he described as the BJP’s internal democracy, Vishwakarma said that even a grassroots worker can rise to become the party president within the organisation.
Referring to a past remark by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi that only a fraction of welfare funds reached beneficiaries, he said the system has since improved, with financial assistance now being directly transferred into bank accounts under the current Central government.
He also outlined several government initiatives, stating that over one million homes in Gujarat have been equipped with solar panels, enabling households to access free electricity. He referred to the Ayushman health scheme, under which beneficiaries receive up to Rs five lakh annually, along with an additional Rs five lakh support provided by the state government.
Vishwakarma further cited schemes related to roads, water supply, drainage, farmer welfare, widow assistance, the Suryoday Yojana, Mudra loans and the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ initiative, as well as financial support for students pursuing higher education.
Quoting the Prime Minister, he said the target of providing toilets to every household has been achieved, describing it as a measure ensuring dignity for women.
With polling scheduled for April 26, he urged voters to participate in large numbers and support BJP candidates. “I call for massive voting in favour of the BJP and to ensure the victory of all BJP candidates,” he said.
With IANS inputs