Voting for the local body elections in Gujarat commenced at 7 am on Sunday and is set to continue till 6 pm. The counting of votes is scheduled for Tuesday. The elections cover the Junagadh Municipal Corporation, 68 municipalities, and three taluka panchayats.
This election marks the first local body polls since the state government announced a 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in municipalities and panchayats in 2023.
Ahead of the elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 215 seats unopposed, accounting for nearly 10 per cent of the total contested seats.
Reports indicate that these seats had only one candidate remaining after others withdrew their nominations, resulting in uncontested victories. A total of 5,084 candidates remain in the electoral race across the state.
Among the unopposed seats won by the BJP, 196 are in municipalities, 10 in district and taluka panchayats, and nine in Junagadh Municipal Corporation. These seats were secured following the withdrawal of rival candidates.
The Election Commission and local authorities have implemented strict security measures to ensure peaceful and fair elections. Police personnel have been deployed at polling stations, and enhanced monitoring systems have been introduced to oversee the voting process.
Gujarat has an interesting electoral history. The first elections in the region were held in 1934 when it was part of the Bombay Presidency, with Ahmedabad electing Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar, who later became the Speaker of the Central Legislative Assembly.
Since the formation of Gujarat in 1960, local body elections have been conducted regularly under the supervision of the State Election Commission.
In the 2021 local elections, over 8,235 seats were contested, with 237 candidates elected unopposed.
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