Home Minister Amit Shah Predicts 2029 General Election Win Following BJP Local Body Poll Success

Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated on Tuesday that the Congress will face its fourth consecutive defeat while the National Democratic Alliance will return to power with an overwhelming majority in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. Speaking in New Delhi on October 13, 2026, he made these remarks following the Bharatiya Janata Party's recent victory in Gujarat's local body elections.

Election Results

Mr. Shah criticized the Congress by stating that public trust cannot be earned through manufactured media events and false narratives. He questioned Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's allegations about the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Pointing to past losses, the Home Minister noted that the Congress has not won an election in Gujarat for 41 years, with its last win in 1985. He added that the party has not held a Chief Minister post in Tripura for 33 years or in West Bengal for 54 years.

Local Poll Wins

Detailing recent electoral outcomes, Mr. Shah said the BJP won 90 out of 104 seats in three municipal corporations and municipalities in Gujarat. In the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation, which falls under his parliamentary constituency, the party secured 38 of 44 seats while increasing its vote share by around 10 percent compared to the previous election. He noted that the Aam Aadmi Party forfeited its deposits in all 32 seats it contested there. In Rajasthan's local body elections, the BJP won 90 percent of Municipal Corporation seats, 66 percent of Municipal Council seats, and 65 percent of Municipality seats. In Tripura's Village Committee elections held using ballot papers, NDA parties collectively won 4,320 seats and secured 77.5 percent of the vote, while the Congress won 14 seats.

By-Election Victories

In recent by-elections, the BJP won the Nagaon seat in Assam by 1.42 lakh votes from the Congress. In West Bengal, the party secured 76 percent of the vote in Nandigram and won by over 1.22 lakh votes, and won by over 75,000 votes in Rejinagar. In Puducherry, the NDA won by 8,482 votes while the Congress secured about 22 percent of the vote. Responding to these statements, Congress communication chief Jairam Ramesh accused the Home Minister of rigging preparations for the 2029 polls.

Context

Local body elections and municipal polls are conducted across Indian states to elect representatives for urban and rural local governance bodies. These mid-term electoral battles are frequently viewed by political parties and observers as important indicators of grassroots voter sentiment between major national parliamentary elections.