GANDHINAGAR: On April 26, about 4.19 crore of Gujarat’s 4.4 crore eligible voters are gearing up to cast their votes in a significant local body election. This election will determine representatives for 15 municipal corporations, including major cities like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, and Rajkot.
The voting will run from 7 AM to 6 PM across the state using electronic voting machines (EVMs). Vote counting is scheduled for April 28, as announced by the State Election Commission (SEC).
This election marks a first for nine newly created municipal corporations: Karamsad-Anand, Gandhidham, Nadiad, Navsari, Porbandar, Mehsana, Morbi, Vapi, and Surendranagar. Currently, the BJP governs six existing corporations.
A multi-cornered battle is expected among the BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), several smaller parties and independents vying for nearly 10,000 seats across various local bodies. Specifically,9,992 seats are available in urban local bodies including district and taluka panchayats.
In addition to regular elections, there will also be by-elections held for 13 seats across 11 municipalities. According to SEC officials on Wednesday in Gandhinagar,“About 4.19 crore voters out of a total of 4.4 crore will be able to cast their vote in the upcoming local body elections.”
The SEC further revealed that the elections would take place across 7,253 wards, with 1,044 positions in municipal corporations alone. Notably this time around is the implementation of a 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), alongside the establishment of new municipalities and panchayats.