BJP councilors in Padra vote against party nominee; suspended

The BJP today said that it has ordered suspension of 17 of its councilors in Padra municipality in Vadodara district for voting against the party's mandate.
The party had won 23 out of the 28 seats in Padra, while Congress had won three in the last month's local body elections. Two seats went to independents.
However, in the election to the post of municipality president today, 17 BJP councilors voted against the official BJP candidate and selected one of them as the president, the party said.
Gujarat BJP chief R C Faldu ordered suspension of the 17 councilors from the party as their action led the party to lose the municipality which it had won, the BJP said.

Elsewhere, BJP said that its nominees were elected as presidents in 19 municipalities, taking the number of semi-urban civic bodies under its control to 40.
Congress said its councilors were elected as presidents in eight municipalities.
BJP has won 42 municipalities while Congress eight out of the 56 municipalities. There was a hung verdict in six municipalities.