Polling for Panchayats/Nagarpalika begins in Gujarat

Correspondent, Gandhinagar

Polling for the second and final phase of the local body polls in Gujarat for 56 municipalities, 31 district and 230 taluka panchayats began this morning amid tight security with the deployment of over 75000 security personnel including 47 companies of central para military forces.

Average 4 to 5 percent polling has been reported in the first hour of the poll ie till 9 am.

Voters in Mathavadi of Narmada district boycotted the polls claiming no party did anything for the solution of various civic problems their. Poll was also boycotted in Gojharia of Mahesana district to press for the locals’ demand of giving taluka status to Gojharia. Similar reports poured in from Shanana village of Morbi and Bhaniya of Khamba taluka in Amreli district where voters boycotted polls on various local issues.

State Election Commissioner Varesh Sinha said that there were a total of 19724 candidates in the fray. Almost 2.60 crore voters can cast their votes on 33286 booths of which 8110 have been declared sensitive while 4422 hyper sensitive.

Polling began at 8am and will continue till 5pm.

Union minister of Agriculture for state Mohan Kundaria and Gujarat minister of state for home Rajni Patel, Forest minister Mangubhai Patel, Panchayat minister Jayanti Kavadiya were some of the prominent early voters in their respective local body areas while the leader of opposition Shankersinh Vaghela could not cast his vote in Randheja of Gandhinagar taluka as the seat has been won by the candidate of ruling BJP unopposed. Top Gujarat Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel cast his vote in Bharuch district. Speaking to media persons he said BJP’s bubble of development will burst.

Polling at many booths including Jetalpur in Ahmedabad, Vibhapar in Jamnagar, Halar and Pariya in Valsad, Bhadkodara in Ankaleshwar of Bharuch, Javna in Savli of Vadodara, Charanda in Patan could not start in time owing to technical snags in the EVMs.

The ruling BJP, which had won majority of the seats in the last elections, had made development the main poll plank while opposition Congress had raked up issues like price rise and reservation of Patel community.

As per the official figures provided by the SEC, 27 candidates for the municipalities have been elected unopposed while 7 and 54 candidates for district and taluka panchayats respectively have won unopposed.

Meanwhile,elaborate security arrangements have been made for the peaceful conduct of the polling with a total of 193 companies of various police and paramilitary forces apart from around 60000 other personnel of Gujarat police and home guards deployed across all the segments. It includes 47 companies of para military forces, 11 companies of police and border wing home guards from neighbouring Rajasthan, 10 companies of Maharashra police and five companies of Madhya Pradesh Police. Voting will take place between 8 am to 5 pm. Counting will be done on December 2.

Around 48 percent average polling was reported in the first phase of the polls held in the municipal corporations across six cities Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar held on November 22. Counting for both the phase will take place on December 2.

– DeshGujarat