Multi-pronged contests to mark Gujarat local body polls; around 10,000 candidates in fray
The challenge for the BJP lies in maintaining its political dominance in the home states of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for nearly three decades.
Voting will start at 07:00 and end at 18:00. If necessary, a new vote will be held the next day and the votes will be counted on April 28.
As many as 9,992 local representatives in 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats, including Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot, are in the fray and 4.18 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise.
The elections are being held as per the revised norms for Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations and wards in various areas have to be extensively demarcated and restructured.
Political observers believe the election results will reflect the mood of voters in the state; This is an important indicator ahead of the 2027 parliamentary elections.
The campaign was marked by rallies, roadshows and door-to-door visits. While social issues such as road conditions and drinking water supply dominated the campaign, leaders also raised broader issues, including women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
While politics in Gujarat has traditionally been dominated by the BJP and the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party is trying to expand its footprint.
AAP had come ahead of other parties in launching the campaign, with national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann addressing various rallies in Gujarat.
In a first for AAP, the Kejriwal-led party is contesting on nearly 5,000 seats in the civic body polls.
Other contenders include the Nationalist Congress Party, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Independents.
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi campaigned in the final phase, addressing public meetings in Ahmedabad and Bhuj.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel campaigned heavily on behalf of the BJP.
Notable candidates include former Gujarat cadre IPS officer ML Ninama, former radio jockey Abha Desai and former AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani.
Ninama will contest the Arvalli district panchayat elections from Odh seat in Shamlaji taluka, while Bhayani has been nominated by the BJP from Bhesan seat of Junagadh district panchayat.
Desai, popularly known as RJ Abha, is contesting as a Congress candidate from ward number 10 of Rajkot Municipal Corporation.
In March 2021, the BJP once again scored a landslide in the local body polls in Gujarat, winning 6,236 out of 8,470 seats in various municipalities, creating a huge gap with the rival Congress.
The BJP then dominated all six municipal corporations, along with 81 municipalities, 32 district panchayats and 231 taluka panchayats.
Notably, elections will also be held for the first time in nine newly created municipal corporations, including Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, Porbandar and Surendranagar.
Senior BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, are scheduled to cast their votes on Sunday. Shah will vote at 11 am at Naranpura sub-district office in Ahmedabad, while CM Bhupendra Patel will cast his vote at Shilaj Primary School.
State BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi will exercise their authority at polling stations in Ahmedabad and Surat respectively.
Patel called the elections a “sacred festival of democracy”, calling on voters to ensure “100 percent participation” ahead of the vote.
Saying that each vote is vital for the development of villages, talukas, districts and cities, he urged citizens to make sure to exercise their right to vote and motivate others to participate.
Meanwhile, three-tier security is in place for the elections, supported by CCTV surveillance and deployment of special teams in sensitive areas.
Director General of Police KLN Rao said security covers around 29,000 polling stations and more than 49,000 polling stations. Cabinets are classified as sensitive, hypersensitive and normal according to standard operating procedures.
The local police will be accompanied by armed constables, State Reserve Police, Central forces, Home Guards, Gram Rakshak Dal (GRD) and Sagar Rakshak Dal (SRD).
