Gandhinagar, November 3: Gandhinagar has a new Mayor following the BJP's victory in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation elections, with Rupsinh Thakor appointed to the state capital's top civic post on Tuesday.

Source: Gujarat Headline

Anjanaben Mehta has been selected as the Deputy Mayor, and Mahendra Patel has been appointed Chairman of the Standing Committee, completing the corporation's new leadership team, Gujarat Headline reported. NationPress, in its November 3 report, also named Thakor, 29, as the new Gandhinagar Mayor as the BJP formed its civic team.

Source: NationPress

The announcement brought an end to speculation over who would take charge of the city's top civic post, with several potential names having been discussed in the media since the election results.

The BJP retained control of the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation in the elections held on October 11, winning 38 of the 44 seats, while the Congress increased its tally to five seats and an Independent won one, IANS reported. Polling recorded a turnout of 59.25 per cent.

The mayor's post in the corporation is reserved for a member of the Other Backward Classes (OBC). Four names — Kanaiyalal Desai, Mahesh Chaudhary, Dharmendra Nai and Rupsinhji Thakor — had emerged as contenders when the party's state election committee met on October 23 in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and state BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma, according to IANS.

Thakor had won his seat from Ward 4 in the October elections, securing 7,006 votes, according to the results reported by IANS.

With the mayor, deputy mayor and standing committee chairman now named, the new civic team is set to take charge of the 44-member corporation in the state capital.