Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Congress will begin the candidate selection process for the upcoming local body elections from March 11, with applications invited at the taluka, district and city levels. The party has introduced a QR code-based application system for aspirants seeking tickets for municipal corporations, municipalities, district panchayats and taluka panchayats.

According to party leaders, the selection process will continue till March 20, during which aspirants will be called for in-person hearings at the local level. The Congress said the screening of candidates will be done locally, and a decision has been taken to minimise interference at the regional level.

The party has decided to field 50 percent candidates below the age of 50 in the upcoming elections, following directions from party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. The Congress has also announced that 50 percent tickets will be given to women candidates. Aspirants for seats in 15 municipal corporations will also be able to apply through the QR code system.

Party sources said the Congress is also considering announcing its mayoral candidates before the elections if it comes to power.

Elections on over 10,000 seats

Local body elections are due across Gujarat after being delayed due to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. Elections are expected to be held for:

• 1,044 seats in 15 municipal corporations,

• 1,084 seats in 34 district panchayats,

• 5,214 seats in 262 taluka panchayats, and

• 2,596 seats in 83 municipalities.

In total, polling will be held for around 10,000 seats across the state. The Congress said it has completed preparations at all levels and has held outreach programmes in districts and talukas to prepare its manifesto based on public feedback.

Candidates to be heard in person: Amit Chavda

Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda said that aspirants will be heard personally at the district, taluka and city levels before finalising panels.

He also questioned the voter list revision process, alleging that elections in the past were held on the basis of faulty voter lists. According to him, lakhs of names were missing after the SIR process, which indicates that irregularities had continued for years.

Chavda further alleged corruption in local bodies, saying citizens expect proper roads, drinking water, housing, sanitation, education and healthcare facilities in return for the taxes they pay, but many civic works fail even before completion.

Reacting to this, the Gujarat BJP spokesperson Dr. Anil Patel said, “Congress talks about fielding its own candidates for the elections across 10,000 different seats of local self-government. My question to Congress is: does Congress actually even have 10,000 workers? A major example of this is that Congress has tried to invite candidacies via QR codes in 15 metropolitan areas; this simply means that, in reality, Congress does not have any candidates in these 15 metropolises.”

“Congress talks about giving 50% of the tickets to the youth, but looking at the age of the Congress leadership and the election management committee that has been formed, you all must have questions. Take a look at a living example: our national leadership is under 45 years old. Nitin Nabin ji is our national president, the General Secretary sitting next to me right now is also a young General Secretary, and the state president of Gujarat is also young. So, all in all, there is a difference between their words and their actions,” he added. DeshGujarat