The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), riding on the popularity of tribal leader Chaitar Vasava — Gujarat working president and Dediapada MLA — managed to pull multiple upsets for the BJP in the taluka panchayats of tribal dominated seats in the local body polls in Gujarat.While the AAP swept Narmada district panchayat, causing a major upset for the BJP, it also managed to win the prestige battle in the land of Statue of Unity, winning a majority in Garudeshwar Taluka Panchayat — one of the four taluka panchayats it won in the district. The BJP retained two taluka panchayats — Tilakwada and Nandod.The BJP suffered a shock in the Narmada district panchayat, with AAP winning 15 of the 22 seats. While the BJP won 7 seats, the Congress scored a naught. The newly-carved taluka of Chikhda in Narmada district saw the AAP sweeping 15 of the 16 seats in the maiden election.The AAP also won 17 of the 18 seats of the Dediapada Taluka Panchayat as well as 13 of the 18 seats in Sagbara taluka and 13 out of 16 seats in the Garudeshwar Taluka Panchayat, under which Kevadia — where Statue of Unity stands — falls. The BJP bagged a single seat in Dediapada, five in Sagbara and three in Garudeshwar, while comfortably retaining Nandod and Tilakwada Taluka Panchayats as well as the Rajpipla Municipality.AAP candidates won the key seats around the Statue of Unity (SoU)– Vijay Tadvi in Kevadia, Vanita Pravin Tadvi in Gora, Varsha Nilesh Vanand in Garudeshwar, Nagin Tadvi in Kareli– all part of the Garudeshwar Taluka Panchayat. The battle is especially seen as a “prestige” as Chaitar has been at the forefront leading agitations over local issues in the area, despite it falling outside his Assembly Constituency of Dediapada.The party claimed it had won 12 of the 260 taluka panchayats: Valiya, Bagasara, Lalpur, Junagadh, Poshina, Visavadar, apart from the six in Central Gujarat. State AAP president Isudan Gadhvi claimed in a media interaction that his party “stood second” in the elections having won in all 366 seats against the Congress 261, emerging as an “alternative”.While the BJP had won the Nandod Assembly constituency in 2022, its ouster from the local bodies, following the win in 2021 tells a story of the shifted allegiance of locals. Issues of land acquisition by the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) for the dam as well as the growing tourism circuit around the SoU, the “bitterness” over the “unkept promises” despite sustained protests by the Narmada affected families and the perception that most of the employment created by the SoU has benefitted “outsiders” are factors that have contributed to the locals leaning towards Chaitar– who they have known since he was part of the Bhilistan Tiger Sena and thereafter the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) as the confidant of its chief Mahesh Vasava, former Dediapada MLA and son of tribal heavyweight Chhotu Vasava. Chaitar broke away with Mahesh in 2022 to contest and win Dediapada Assembly Constituency with a margin of over 1 lakh votes.Story continues below this adThroughout the election campaign, Chaitar canvassed relentlessly in the tribal districts, raising issues of corruption, tribal rights, MGNERGA scams, “atrocity”, tribal funds being diverted and other issues that affected the locals at the ground level. As a result, despite being “on the run” in the beginning of 2024 and in prison in 2025, following an FIR filed by Sagbara BJP leader Sanjay Vasava for alleged attempt to murder, he managed to come back stronger.When the Gujarat High Court granted him bail in September 2025, he was prohibited from entering Dediapada taluka — his home turf. However, Chaitar, used the time to campaign in the talukas of Sagbara, Garudeshwar, the newly-carved Chikhda as well as the neighbouring tribal areas in the districts of Chhota Udepur, Bharuch and Dahod.On April 23, the Gujarat High Court had granted relief to Chaitar, allowing him to enter his home taluka of Dediapada in Narmada district until April 30.Tie in Chhota UdepurThe AAP won the Kawant taluka panchayat in Chhota Udepur district, bagging 16 of the 26 seats while BJP won 9 seats and the Congress one. The AAP also managed to force a tie with the BJP in newly-carved Kadwal and once Congress bastion of Chhota Udepur Taluka Panchayat in Chhota Udepur district. Both parties bagged 8 seats each in Kadwal and 13 each in Chhota Udepur taluka panchayats.Story continues below this adIn Naswadi taluka panchayat, the AAP won 7 seats while BJP won 13 and the Congress 2.Tie in DahodThe AAP also pulled a surprise in Dhanpur Taluka Panchayat in Dahod district– the home turf of former Gujarat MoS for Panchayati Raj Bachubhai Khabad, who is an MLA from Dhanpur Assembly constituency.The AAP managed to win 12 seats in the contest tying with the BJP, which has also won 12 seats, including four uncontested seats.Khabad had been in the centre of controversy in May last year when his two sons– Balvantsinh and Kiran– were arrested by the Dahod district police in multiple FIRs based on the complaints of the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA) of alleged scams of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) schemes in Devgarh Baria taluka of the district to the tune of Rs 100 crore.Victory of people, says Chaitar VasavaStory continues below this adThe AAP also won the Valia Taluka Panchayat– tribal dominated area in Bharuch district.On Tuesday, Chaitar Vasava said, “The results of these local body elections are not just a victory for our party — they are a victory for the people of entire Gujarat. We humbly accept this win and express our heartfelt gratitude to every voter… On one side, there was the politics of money power, liquor, enticement, and intimidation…and on the other side, there was the voice of voting rights, democratic values, and the resolve to protect the Constitution. Today, the people have proven that they are not afraid of anyone, nor do they fall for temptations — they stand firmly with truth and trust…”While BJP leaders, including district presidents of Chhota Udepur and Narmada remained unavailable for comment, a senior BJP leader told The Indian Express, “There is no doubt that Chaitar’s popularity has been increasing in the tribal belt since his victory in the 2022 Assembly polls… Despite the party having appointed young leaders within the organisation in Narmada and Chhota Udepur, the party is struggling to find a face and a voice to counter Chaitar. The local body poll results are for us to examine…”The senior BJP leader adds that the voters have shown that they had been waiting for a “reliable alternative”.“Chaitar has hit the right chord as he has raised issues in Narmada of forest rights and employment, in Chhota Udepur for the mines and hydropower project, in Valia in Bharuch he has brought up issues pertaining to GIDC and tribals.. education and a nursing scam… He is seen as a leader who has been running for them and perhaps the voters see Chaitar as an option to fill the void of a tall tribal leader that has been created due to the absence of such a face in the BJP or Congress as well as the slow dilution of the influence that Chhotubhai Vasava once had…”