ગુજરાતી
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Protests are taking place in many places due to lack of facilities.
Dilip Patel
September 20, 2025
Effectiveness is not available, so nine new municipalities were created and 60 surrounding gram panchayats were merged into the municipalities. The BJP government has adopted a new political strategy through urbanization before the next local self-government elections. This includes 60 villages and 12 municipalities merged into one large city from January 1, 2025. Records from all 60 villages have been obtained.
Thus, there is talk that the government has adopted a new strategy through urbanization before the next local self-government elections. This is because urban areas have supported the BJP. Now, 51 percent of the population lives in cities. Thus, villages have been sacrificed for urban politics. Villagers were not consulted before submitting proposals against the ongoing urbanization.
17 Municipal Corporations
The number of municipal corporations has increased from eight to 17. These included the Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, and Gandhinagar Municipal Corporations. With the approval of nine new municipal corporations, the total number of municipal corporations has now reached 17.
The number of municipal corporations had increased to 149. 165 municipal corporations were covered by the Municipal Corporation Act.
Nine municipal corporations were elevated to municipal corporations. Mehsana, Gandhidham, Vapi, Navsari, Anand, Surendranagar, Nadiad, Morbi, and Porbandar were granted municipal corporation status. However, Bharuch Municipality was discriminated against by not being elevated to a municipal corporation. Thus, Sanand and Bhopal in Ahmedabad district were denied municipal corporation status.
15 years later,
In Gujarat, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation was formed in 1951 under the BPMC Act under the Bombay State Municipal Corporation Act.
In the state, Ahmedabad and Vadodara were declared municipal corporations in 1950.
Bhavnagar was declared a municipal corporation in 1962,
Surat in 1966,
Rajkot in 1973,
Jamnagar in 1981,
Junagadh in 2002,
Gandhinagar in 2010.
Junagadh Municipal Corporation was formed in 2002, and Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation in 2010. Nine new municipal corporations were formed 23 years later and 15 years later.
The urban development authorities under the Town Planning Act, 1976 are AUDA, SUDA, VUDA, GUDA, BADA, and JADA.
Navsari: 4 villages and 1 municipality
The Navsari Municipality, along with the Dantej, Dharagiri, Eru, and Hansapur Gram Panchayats, were merged into the Navsari Municipal Corporation.
Gandhidham: 7 villages and 1 municipality
Gandhidham Municipality, along with the Kidana, Galpadar, Antarjal, Shinay, Meghpar-Borichi, and Meghpar-Kumbhardi Gram Panchayats, were merged into the Gandhidham Municipal Corporation.
Morbi: 9 villages and 1 municipality
Morbi Municipality, along with the Shaktasnala, Ravapara, Lilapar, Amreli, Nani Vavdi, Bhadiyad (Jawahar), Trajpar (Malia Vanaliya), Mahendranagar (Indiranagar), and Madhapar/Vajepar OG Gram Panchayats, were merged into the Morbi Municipal Corporation.
Vapi: 11 villages and 1 municipality
Vapi Municipality, along with the Balitha, Salvav, Chiri, Charwada, Chanod, Karvad, Namdha, Chandor, Morai, Watar, and Kunta Gram Panchayats, were merged into the Vapi Municipal Corporation.
Anand: 4 villages and 3 municipalities
Anand, Vallabhvidyanagar, and Karamsad municipalities, along with Mogri, Jitodia, Gamdi, and Lambhvel gram panchayats, along with 4 villages, were merged into Anand Municipal Corporation.
Mehsana: 10 villages and 1 municipality
The Mehsana Municipal Corporation will be formed by including Mehsana Municipal Corporation, along with Fatepura, Ramosana, Ramosana N.A. area, Dediasan, Palvasna, Heduwa Rajgar, Heduwa Hanumant, Taleti, and Lakhwad gram panchayats, as well as some survey numbered areas of Palodar, Panchot, Gilosan, Nugar, Sakhpurda, and Lakhwad gram panchayats.
Surendranagar: 5 villages and 2 municipalities
Surendranagar/Dudhrej/Wadhwana Municipality, along with Khamisna, Kherali, Malod, Mulchand, and Chamraj Gram Panchayats, were merged into the Surendranagar Municipal Corporation.
Porbandar: 4 villages and 1 municipality
Porbandar/Chhaya Municipality, along with Kela (Virpur), Digvijaygarh, Ratanpar, and Jhawar Gram Panchayats, were merged into the Porbandar Municipal Corporation.
Nadiad: 10 villages and 1 municipality
Nadiad Municipality, along with Yoginagar, Piplag, Dumral, Fatepura, Kamala, Manjipura, Dabhan, Bilodara, Uttarsanda, and Tundel Gram Panchayats, were merged into the Nadiad Municipal Corporation.
Tax Increase
Property taxes were increased within six months of Porbandar becoming a Municipal Corporation. The allocation of house tax bills led to an unbearable increase in taxes.
Protest
Many villages say, “Don’t turn villages into cities.” Municipalities or municipal corporations are formed without consulting villagers. There’s opposition to this, but the government isn’t paying attention.
Karamsad
Since January, there has been opposition to merging Karamsad with Anand Municipal Corporation. Therefore, the government was forced to add the name Karamsad to Anand. A petition was submitted to the Collector demanding that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s Karamsad area be preserved and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s land be granted special status. Karamsad is the land of Sardar Patel, Vitthalbhai, Maniben, Bhikhakaka, and many other freedom fighters. There have been attempts to erase Karamsad from the map. Karamsad will become an Anand area. Keep Karamsad independent.
Vapi
People from 11 villages that were to be merged into the Vapi Municipal Corporation protested. Balitha, Salvav, Chiri, Chharwada, Chanod, Karvad, Namdha, Chandor, Morai, Watar, and Kunta villages continued to protest even after being included. Late into the night, a crowd of 2,000 people from the Morai Gram Panchayat continued to protest outside the Gram Panchayat. They declared that even if it meant losing their lives, they would not allow their village to be included in the municipal corporation.
And will continue their protest.
Demand to include the notified area of Vapi GIDC into the Vapi Municipal Corporation
Villages like Dungra, Chanod, Chiri, and Chharwada in Vapi border some areas of the notified area. If all these villages are included, people demanded that the notified area also be included.
Vadodara
Residents of villages that are not allowed to be included in the city protested. Residents of Vemali village near Vadodara demanded that the village remain a village. They protested by playing drums and plates.
Khambhalia
There was opposition to the merger of villages surrounding Khambhalia into the municipality. Khambhalia is the headquarters of Devbhoomi Dwarka district. There was opposition to increasing the area of the municipality and merging the areas, land, and population of surrounding gram panchayats into Khambhalia. Four gram panchayats in Dharampur, Ramnagar, Shaktinagar, and Harshadpur protested. When a village has one street in the gram panchayat and another in the municipality, the situation is such that gram panchayats in a very large area receive only a small amount of grants per year.
Ahmedabad
In January 2020, there was a tussle between the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Municipal Corporations over the inclusion of six villages in the municipal limits.
Jhundal, Koteshwar, Bhat, Amiyapur, Sughad, and Kharoj were on the list for inclusion in both Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar municipal corporations.
Bopal-Ghuma Municipal Corporation was hesitant to include 17 villages in the Ahmedabad limits, either in full or with some of their survey numbers. Due to the dispute, the matter has become complicated and has come to the attention of the state government.
Gandhinagar villages like Jhundal, Khoraj, Bhat, Sughad, Amiyapura, Ranasan, Nana Chiloda, Koteshwar, etc. had objected to being included in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation limits.
Since many warehouses in Aslali were rented out, this area objected to being included in the municipal limits.
There was strong opposition to including the surrounding rural area within the Ahmedabad limits.
Proposed villages falling within the Ahmedabad limits
1 – The entire area of Bopal and Ghuma Municipalities.
2 – The area of six gram panchayats of Jhundal, Koteshwar, Bhat, Chiloda, Naroda, Kathwada, and Amiyapura.
3 – Survey numbers of nine villages falling within the Ring Road area, such as Sanathal, Visalpur, Aslali, Geratpur, Bilasiya, Ranasan, Sughad, and Khoraj Khodiyar.
Gandhinagar Village Proposal
1 – Area of Pethapur Municipality
2 – Area of 11 Gram Panchayats of Kudasan, Raisan, Randesan, Sargasan, Koba, Vasna, Hadmatiya, Vavol, Kolwada, Por, Ambapur.
3 – Some survey numbers of Dholakuwa, Indroda, Tarapur, Uvarsad, Shahpur, Vasna, Lavanpur.
4 – Some survey numbers of Tarapur, Uvarsad, Dholkuwa.
Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar
In Ahmedabad, 30 new areas were last added to the Municipal Corporation in 2007. Areas outside Gandhinagar, such as Pethapur, Kudasan, Raisan, and Sargasan, will be brought under the Municipal Corporation’s jurisdiction.
Morbi
At the time of the formation of Morbi district, Amran Chovisi was separated from Jamnagar and merged into Morbi. Amran village in Morbi taluka is 500 years old. Its population was 5,000.
Kanjari
In 2014, there was opposition to the merger of Vadtal, Narsanda, and Rajnagar into the Kanjari Municipality.
Rajkot
Villagers opposed the merger of Shapar Veraval with Rajkot into a joint municipality. A demand was made in 2025 to allocate Veraval as an independent municipality. The move to merge Shapar Veraval into a joint municipality was initiated without taking the villagers into confidence.
Kheda – Nadiad
There is opposition in 30 villages to the merger of Kheda into five municipalities. Gram Sabhas were held and resolutions were passed. All villages have called this decision arbitrary and unfair. There was a protest against the merger of villages into Thasra, Dakor, Kheda, Kanjari, and Mahudha municipalities.
There is opposition to the merger of 30 villages into five municipalities in Kheda district.
At this time, protests are being held in every village through Gram Sabhas. Villages are also taking decisions through Gram Sabha resolutions to preserve their identity.
There are plans to merge the Sewalia and Matar Gram Panchayats in Kheda into municipalities. Surveys were conducted to include six villages in Sewalia and five in Matar. The formation of municipalities has been opposed.
Mahudha
Six villages, namely Toraniya, Finav, Bhumas, Nandgam, Mangalpur, and Sindhali, protested the decision to include them in the Mahudha Municipality in Kheda district.
Vijapur
Eight villages opposed to merging into the Vijapur Municipality protested. Villagers and residents from over 100 societies held a rally and submitted a petition. The state government and local leadership have been repeatedly attempting to merge the villages included in the Govindpura Group Panchayat into the Vijapur Municipality area. However, due to opposition from local villagers, the merger of these areas into the municipal area has been stalled.
Tankara
A rally was held to protest the conversion of Tankara into a municipality from September 2024.
The protest occurred after the conversion of the Tankara Gram Panchayat into a municipality.
Tankara, two and a half decades after becoming a taluka, remains a village town. Instead of development, chaos reigns. There is neither dirt nor cleanliness. Youths lack adequate employment opportunities. Therefore, Kalyanpar village submitted a petition opposing the merger into a municipality. The decision to repeal the municipal corporation in Tankara should be reversed.
A rally was held demanding the same.
The decision to keep the village in the dark is unacceptable. It was described as dirty politics and anger was expressed. A municipality has been imposed on the people.
Dayanand Janmabhoomi Tankara was made a taluka, but no benefits have been achieved. Development is visible. There are no basic amenities. There is no business or employment. Youth are languishing in unemployment.
An immature decision has been made. Water comes only after five days.
Expressing strong opposition to the merger of Kalyanpar village into the municipality, please withdraw your village from the municipality.
A petition was sent to the Chief Minister, Governor, and others demanding the continuation of the village and gram panchayat. Tax slabs will be increased upon the formation of a municipality, and this was described as a dirty trick to deceive people in the name of facilities and to further political gains.
The myth is false
The myth that better facilities are available after merging into a municipality is false. Previously, villages merged into the municipality were not provided any additional facilities. When merging villages into municipalities, local people were promised many dreams of development, but these have yet to be fulfilled. Such villages are administered by the Gram Panchayat.
Navsari
There was opposition to the inclusion of three more villages, Eru, Hanspur, and Dharagiri, into the Navsari-Vijalpur Municipality.
NITI Aayog believes that cities are engines of development.
Amenities
When cities are formed, villages receive basic amenities such as urban planning, roads, sewerage systems, sanitation, clean drinking water, sewage treatment plants, health services, education, streetlights, gardens, community halls, and transportation.
It was announced that special projects such as BRTS, Metro Rail, and the Riverfront would be implemented upon the formation of the nine new municipalities. But this will take decades to happen.
Injustice
Why don’t the 11 cities become metropolises?
Patan, Palanpur, Himmatnagar, Dahod, Godhra, Khambhat, Chhota Udaipur, Bharuch, Valsad, Bhuj, and Amreli are eligible to become municipalities. However, they have not been designated as municipalities. The sole reason for this is that they cannot help the BJP politically.
Lower-level officials in municipalities are infiltrated, which prevents each city from developing as much as possible. If they were converted into municipal corporations, the city’s income could improve.
Injustice to 13 Cities
Generally, cities with a population of over 100,000 are declared metropolitan cities. In Gujarat, there are 13 cities with a population of up to 150,000. Yet, they have not been granted metropolitan city status.
Porbandar has a population of 279,245. Bharuch and Patan have higher populations, yet they have not been declared metropolitan cities. This clearly demonstrates the government’s discriminatory policy. If everyone wants equal justice, 17 metropolitan cities should be declared, and if the remaining 13 are declared metropolitan cities, then 30 metropolitan cities should be created.
Cities are also facing the same problem.
Bharuch – 290,000
Patan – 283,000
Bhuj – 244,000
Veraval – 241,000
Valsad – 221,000
Godhra – 211,000
Palanpur – 184,000
Himmatnagar – 181,000
Kalol – 174,000
Botad – 169,000
Amreli – 153,000
Gondal – 145,000
Jetpur – 153,000
60 percent of Gujarat’s population lives in cities and towns. Which are talukas, district headquarters, municipalities, or metropolitan areas.
Make Viramgam a separate district
There has been a repeated demand to make Viramgam taluka in Ahmedabad a separate district. Just as Botad was separated from Ahmedabad and merged into Saurashtra, there has been a long-standing demand to make Viramgam a separate district and include it in Saurashtra.
There has also been a demand to divide Kutch and create a new district called East Kutch.
Kutch, with a population of 2.1 million and an area of 45,674 square kilometers, is spread over an area of 100,000 square kilometers.
What happened before?
22 metropolitan areas were to be created
In April 2024, the government was secretly planning to declare metropolitan areas. According to this,
if 8 new metropolitan areas were added after the previous announcement, a total of 22 metropolitan areas were to be created in Gujarat, along with 14 municipal corporations.
Five cities were to be formed.
On June 29, 2023, the cabinet decided to form five municipalities—Navsari, Gandhidham, Surendranagar, Vapi, and Morbi.
Suddenly, two more were formed.
In the March 2024 budget, the Gujarat government had asked for seven municipalities to be declared municipal corporations. Mehsana, Gandhidham, Anand, Morbi, Navsari, Vapi, and Surendranagar-Dudhraj Municipality were declared municipal corporations. However, within 10 months, something happened, and instead of seven, two cities were suddenly declared municipal corporations on January 1, 2025. These include Porbandar and Nadiad.
Political Mathematics
What happened before?
So, the formation of new cities was to begin in March 2020. Departments were notified of this. However, Vijay Rupani later received orders from Delhi not to do so.
The state urban government has begun considering expanding the boundaries of Gujarat’s eight metropolitan cities. The Urban Development Department will issue a gazette notification.
For the 2027 assembly elections, the 80 urban seats have been increased to approximately 96 to 100.
2020 Orders
In 2020, the state’s Urban Development Department wrote to the eight metropolitan cities, directing them to quickly submit proposals for the merger of municipalities and gram panchayats. Following this, the department was asked to quickly prepare a list of how many gram panchayats or municipalities could be merged into the metropolitan city.
Proposals were invited for the merger of villages and towns, as well as areas outside the city.
Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara,
Instructions were given to prepare a proposal to merge the outskirts of Odra, Jamnagar, Junagadh, and Bhavnagar into municipal corporations.
8 Other Municipal Corporations
There are a total of 8 municipal corporations, and a demand was made to convert 8 other municipalities into municipal corporations. These were Bharuch, Nadiad, Anand, Amreli, Mehsana, Porbandar, Surendranagar, Valsad, and Navsari. By doing so, the urban area, which currently stands at 43 percent, will increase to 50 percent in 2022. Therefore, by merging the surrounding villages into the assembly, the BJP can easily win 100 assembly seats, and could easily win 85 of them. Vijay Rupani could form the government again in 2022.
Politics
In 2017, farmers and people in rural areas did not vote for the BJP government, so this strategy has been developed and a plan has been formulated to form the government again in the assembly.
Surrounding villages will be included in the 8 new municipal corporations.
To increase the dominance of urban voters and reduce the burden on rural voters, there is a plan to merge 1,000 more villages into megacities.
If Congress loses again, the number of assembly seats will increase to 80, including 53 seats in the 8 metropolitan areas and 27 seats in both cities and villages. Of the 53 urban seats, Congress has a total of 7 MLAs compared to the BJP. Thus, the existing metropolitan areas and the new metropolitan areas can be combined to create 100 seats. The BJP has become the left-wing party of urban voters. Out of 100, Congress or the Aam Aadmi Party can hardly win 20-25 seats, not more. The BJP is also winning municipal corporation seats.
In the 2012 assembly elections, the BJP won 40 of the 45 assembly seats in the eight metropolitan areas, while the Congress won only five.
The BJP is in power in eight municipal corporations in the state.
Citizens’ Belief
Life is meant to be lived in villages. Most villages have internet connectivity and everything a city offers.
Junk food like pizza, burgers, or soft drinks isn’t available in villages. Cabbage Manchurian, Gol Gappa, and more are available. The biggest advantage for children in villages is fresh air and the freedom to walk.
Villages have plenty of space both in their backyards and outside. Overcrowding and traffic jams aren’t a problem. Help arrives late in health emergencies. Cities have multi-specialty hospitals. The distance between city hospitals and homes is roughly the same in cities and villages.
Living in villages is wonderful. Cities are depressing. No one wants to be a farmer anymore. Villages have lost the beauty and purity of nature experienced in childhood.
As cities are built, the old form of villages is missed.
What does the law say?
For good governance in Gujarat’s cities, there is a need to create a “common urban cadre.” A mechanism is needed to ensure accountability of urban administrators.
The Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporation Act, 1948 (GPMC Act) applies to municipal corporations.
The Municipal Act applies to municipal corporations.
Until 2002, octroi was the main source of income for these self-governing bodies. Now, they depend on state government grants, property taxes, commercial taxes, and self-imposed taxes.
Until 1975, elected councilors—the city fathers—in Gujarat’s municipal corporations were in the role of moneylenders.
Elected councilors are not providing services as expected.
The GPMC Act constitutes municipal corporations, which consist of three authorities: the mayor, the general board, the standing committee chairperson, and the municipal commissioner.
The powers of these three authorities are very clear in this law. Under Sections 66 and 67, the law spells out the mandatory and optional duties in detail.
The Municipal Commissioner is an implementing authority; elected officials have no power. However, political interference is currently preventing administrative officials from performing their duties efficiently.
The provision of essential services to citizens is declining.
Municipal Corporation Rules
Cities with a population of more than one lakh are municipal corporations.
According to the law, if the population exceeds three lakh, the government can form a municipal corporation; in some cases, surrounding villages can also be merged to form a municipal corporation.
Three municipal acts are in force in Gujarat:
Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporation Act, 1949
Gujarat Municipalities Act, 1963
Gujarat Panchayat Act, 1993 – Gram Panchayats and Taluka Panchayats (Google translation from Gujarati)
