'Voted for BJP for 25 years, now faith has been lost': 'Roads and footpaths are broken in 6 months, there is nothing but corruption in this government', people are dissatisfied with the BJP's stronghold

Parties, including the BJP-Congress, have fielded their candidates for the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation elections. A total of 44 seats in 11 wards will go to polls on October 11, 2026 through EVMs with 27% OBC reservation. The counting of votes will be held on October 13 and the final results will be announced. The code of conduct will also come into force from September 16. Amid the ongoing political campaign, the people of Gandhinagar are dissatisfied with the basic amenities and problems including roads, drains, street lights, cleanliness, rainwater drainage, pressure in open plots, etc. Ground report in Ward No. 5 was done by Divya Bhaskar. In a conversation with us, the locals said that three mayors and one MLA were elected from here but adequate facilities are not available. The problem is not solved even after repeated complaints. The local, who has been voting for the BJP for the last 25 years, even said that he has no faith in this government anymore. Roads and footpaths are broken every six months. There is nothing left in this government except corruption. Along with this, others also told us their problems. Fault in the location and technical work of the water harvesting well: Dashrathbhai Dashrathbhai Patel of Sector-22 alleged that water used to get waterlogged even in normal rains near the temple. He said that storm water lines have been laid, but there is a problem in draining the water as the level is not right. He also raised questions about the location and technical work of the water harvesting wells built in the sectors. 'Population has decreased in the old sectors of Gandhinagar, there was a need to maintain the facilities' In addition, Dashrathbhai said that the number of families has decreased in the old sectors as compared to before. With children going out for jobs and business, now two people and senior citizens are seen in many sectors. According to him, proper maintenance, cleaning and maintenance of the existing facilities was necessary rather than creating new facilities. He said that despite the corporation talking about spending crores of rupees, there was a deficiency in basic facilities like road levelling and storm water drainage. 'Two tractors dumping soil does not fill the big potholes' Meenaben Patel of Sector-22 said that if a complaint is made about small and big problems, it is often resolved, but repeated representations have to be made. In some areas, the work including cleaning is done only at certain places. During the monsoon, the area gets waterlogged. After complaining of waterlogging, soil was poured into the pit, but the problem persists as one or two tractors of soil are not enough for the big pit. Raising the issue of traders also being affected after the demolition of old houses in the sectors, the administration expressed the need to be vigilant so that new houses can be constructed quickly. 'Lack of basic facilities despite three mayors and MLAs' Jasmine Patel, a resident of Ward-5, said that there is a problem of street lights, garbage cleaning and regular garbage picking up in this ward. Despite repeated representations, some street lights do not turn on. Since there is a forest area in front of them, there is a fear of animals, including snakes, so lighting and cleaning facilities at night are more important. 'Voted for BJP for years, now trust has been lost' Bachhubhai Patel, a resident of Sector 23, said, "I have been living here for 25 years and have voted for the BJP so far. Now the trust in the BJP has been lost. Road and footpath works are frequently demolished, which is not right. After the road work is done, vandalism takes place again within six months and the responsibility for negligence in the work done by government agencies is not fixed. Due to this kind of work, public money is wasted. There is nothing but corruption in this government. The issue of renovation of the government hospital in Sector-23 has risen. Unilaben questioned the status of the government hospital in Sector-23. According to him, three to four representations were made between 2016 and 2021 regarding the renovation of the hospital, staff and necessary health facilities, but the work was not completed. On the other hand, referring to the garden being built in front of it, he questioned whether the priority should be given to health facilities or recreation. He also questioned the purpose of the compound wall built around the sectors and claimed that the wall would lead to nuisance and unauthorised activities among the locals. 'Worked in the party for 10 years, independent after not getting ticket' Nilaben Mukesh Kumar Shukla, an independent candidate from Ward-5, said, "I have been working in the party for the last 10 years. After 'No Repeat Theory', I was hoping to get a chance, but I am contesting as an independent as I did not get a ticket. The party did not appreciate my work. Talking about meeting people in Sectors 21 and 30 during the campaign, she claimed that people are now talking about 'vote only if you want to work'. She also raised the issue of bad roads and water problems in Sector 30 and water problem in Panchsheel Park area of Sector 21. In the midst of the election campaign, one thing is clearly visible in these statements of the locals of Ward-5, there is dissatisfaction among the locals regarding the maintenance of basic facilities, drainage of water, roads, cleanliness and coordination between departments in the old sectors of Gandhinagar. Now it will be important to see how much impact these local issues have in the elections.