Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation poll on 19 April

Gujarat’s capital town Gandhinagar will witness its first Municipal Corporation election on 19 April 2011. According to State Election Commission, Gujarat polling for Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation will be held on 19 April, while counting will take place on 21 April. Candidates will be allowed to file nomination between 28 March and 2 April.

GMC poll will be fought mainly between BJP and Congress. There are total 11 wards in Gandhinagar which will elect 33 councilors. While five seats are reserved for Scheduled cast SC including two seats for SC women, two seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribe ST and three seats are reserved for backward class(including one woman). There will be total 11 seats reserved for women( including SC, BC), out of which 8 seats are reserved for woman from general category(those classes that don’t enjoy reservation). Each ward has about 16,000 to 19,000 voters(exect average 17817 people per ward).

According to State Election Commission, more than 1500 voters have signed up for E-voting facility for GMC poll.

In its order of September 17 last year, a division Bench of the Gujarat High Court on a petition filed by a charitable trust, Gandhinagar Saher Jagrut Nagrik Parishad (SJNP) had directed the state government to form a municipal corporation in the state capital in accordance with constitutional requirement within six months’ time. 17 March was the last date on which the order needed to be implemented.

The court had said in its judgment that Article 243Q (of the Constitution), casts an obligation on the State Government to constitute, a Municipal Corporation at Gandhinagar. Such a Municipal Corporation has to be constituted in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of India.

On 17 March Gandhinagar became the eighth municipal corporation in Gujarat after a formal announcement was made in the state Assembly on that day which also marked the deadline set by the Gujarat High Court for the same.

Once an elected local body is in place, Gandhinagar will qualify for funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Gandhinagar poll at glance

11 wards, 33 seats, total 135269 voters, 171 polling stations, 1582 e-voters(1468 will use their own computers/laptop, while 118 e-voters will use e-booth for which infrastructure will be created by Election Commission). One election observer is yet to be appointed while 3 election officials, 3 assistant election officials are already appointed.

Bypolls on same date

Bypoll for 39 seats of 11 Municipalities across the state will be held along with the GMC poll. Moreover three seats of Surat and Banaskantha District Panchayats and six seats of Taulka Panchayats of Vadhvan, Kunkavav, Bhesan, Sanand and Ranpur will also be held. This will cover 2,23,018 voters and will involve 297 polling stations. 38 election officials/ assistant election officials are appointed. Total polling staff will be 2079.