In the recent taluka panchayat elections held on April 26 in Dharampur, Valsad district, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 13 seats, maintaining a majority in the 24-seat body. The Congress party improved its standing, winning 10 seats, while independent candidate Sunita Kalpesh Patel also emerged victorious. To prevent potential poaching of their winning candidates, BJP's Dharampur MLA Arvind Patel relocated all 13 candidates to Gandhinagar, assuring their families of their safety. Patel confirmed that the candidates, including six women, are instructed to remain at their accommodations but can travel for urgent matters. The president's post is set to be filled soon, with three women candidates in contention: Shakuntalaben Chaudhary, Meenaben Bhoya, and Naynaben Dalvi. The post is reserved for women for the initial two and a half years. The Congress party's local president, Rajesh Patel, expressed confidence in their position, suggesting that some BJP candidates may switch allegiance once the president's name is announced. The elections recorded a high voter turnout of 84%.