The number of seats reserved for Other Backward Class (OBC) candidates in the upcoming Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) elections has risen sharply—from 19 to 52—following the implementation of the 27% reservation rule. The State Election Commission announced the revised seat allocation on October 28.
The change marks a major shift in the city’s political landscape ahead of the February 2026 civic polls. Of Ahmedabad’s 48 wards, 47 will now have at least one OBC candidate, except Chandkheda. Political parties will thus have to field at least one, and in some cases two, OBC candidates per ward. As a result, the number of general (unreserved) seats has dropped from 76 to 59.
Current reservation pattern
AMC’s 192-member body currently includes:
- Women:99 seats
- Scheduled Castes (SC): 20 seats
- Scheduled Tribes (ST):2 seats
- OBC: 19 seats
This totals 116 reserved seats and 76 general seats. For the upcoming elections, SC and ST reservations remain unchanged, while OBC representation expands significantly. The new structure is based on the 2011 Census, which puts Ahmedabad’s population at 5.96 million, or roughly 1.18 lakh residents per ward.
Background and implementation delay
The Gujarat Assembly passed the 27% OBC reservation for local bodies in September 2023 through the
Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Act, 2023, following recommendations by the K.S. Zaveri Commission. The state formally announced the quota in August 2023, but implementation took time as the State Election Commission recalculated seat distributions ward-wise using census data. The new allocation was notified in October 2025.
The amendment is currently being reviewed by the Supreme Court, where petitions have challenged whether the state met the “triple test” requirement for extending OBC reservations in local self-governing bodies.
Political impact
The announcement has intensified political activity among the BJP, Congress, and AIMIM ahead of the polls. Each ward will continue to have one male and one female seat under the general category. The BJP, which has governed the AMC since 1986, is expected to enforce its “No Repeat” policy for corporators who have served three or more terms.
Seat distribution highlights
- Five wards with two OBC seats each: Chandlodia, Kubernagar, Navrangpura, Jamalpur, and Maninagar.
- Chandkheda:The only ward without OBC reservation; its two seats are already allocated—one for an ST woman and another for an SC man.
OBC reservation breakdown
- OBC women: Seats reserved in 26 wards including Chandlodia, Ranip, Naranpura, Sardarnagar, Jamalpur, Vasna, and Danilimda.
- OBC men:Seats reserved in 26 wards including Gota, Sabarmati, Naroda, Navrangpura, Maninagar, Vastral, and Vatva.
With the 27% quota now in effect, the AMC elections are set to significantly alter local political equations, as parties realign candidate lists and strategies to reflect the expanded OBC representation.