Local body polls:BJP parliamentary board meet begins today

Gandhinagar

Ruling BJP in Gujarat, which reigns all the eight municipal corporations in the state, will start the first round of its three day state parliamentary board meeting to decide and announce its candidates for the six of these local bodies going to polls on November 22.

The board meeting to be held at the chief minister’s residence this afternoon will decide a total of 572 candidates for 143 wards of the six corporations of which Ahmedabad has the maximum 48 wards needing 192 candidates. As per the new rules each ward will have four councilors of which fifty percent or two seats will be reserved for woman candidates. (The provision which has been challenged in the apex court.)

On day one today the name of candidates for Rajkot (18 wards 72 seats or candidates), Bhavnagar (13 wards, 52 candidates ) and Jamnagar (16 wards, 64 candidates) is likely to be decided. Tomorrow the party candidates for Vadodara (19 wards, 76 candidates) and Surat (29 wards, 116 seats) will be selected while on the third day candidates for Ahmedabad municipal corporation will be decided.

Of the six corporations going to polls, three- Surat, Vadodara and Bhavnagar- are under BJP rule since almost two decades.

BJP Spokesperson I K Jadeja said that the first round of meetings meant for selection of Municipal Corporation poll candidates would be held from today to October 30. Chief Minister Mrs. Anandiben Patel and state president of the party Mr. R C Faldu would remain present.

He said that the second round of the board meetings for selecting candidates for 56 municipalities (2096 seats), 31 district panchayats (988 seats) and 230 taluka panchayats (4778 seats) would be held from November 2 to 4. These local bodies will go to poll on November 29.

Notification for first phase will be issued on November 2 while that for the second phase will be issued on November 5. With this the nomination will begin which in case of the first phase will go on till November 7 while the last date of nomination for second phase will be November 10. The counting of votes for first and second phase polls would take place on November 26 and December 2 respectively.

– DeshGujarat