Gandhinagar: Voting for local self-government bodies will be held on Sunday, April 26, with voters across 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats set to exercise their franchise. Ahead of the polls, a look at voter turnout patterns from the last civic elections held in February 2021 provides useful context.

In 2021, elections were conducted in two phases. Polling for six major municipal corporations took place on February 21, while elections for district panchayats, taluka panchayats and municipalities were held on February 28. This time, the voting is being carried out in a single phase for all bodies.

Overview of Voter Turnout:

Municipal Corporations

Among municipal corporations, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara together recorded a turnout of 46.08%. These time there are more Municipal Corporations added, as several Municipalities are converted into Municipal Corporations.

Jamnagar recorded the highest turnout at 53.38%, while Ahmedabad saw the lowest at 42.51%.

District Panchayats

The 31 district panchayats recorded an overall turnout of 66.68%.

Narmada district recorded the highest turnout at 79.02%, while Amreli reported the lowest at 55.06%.

Taluka Panchayats

The 231 taluka panchayats achieved the highest overall participation rate among all body types at 66.84%.

Uchhhal taluka in Tapi district registered the highest turnout at 81.57%, while Dhari in Amreli district recorded the lowest at 50.50%.

Municipalities

The 81 Nagar Palikas recorded a voting percentage of 59.05%.

Bareja in Ahmedabad district recorded the highest turnout at 79.29%, while Gandhidham in Kachchh district saw the lowest at 44.61%.

Gender Dynamics and Voter Choices

Gender-wise data shows that male voter turnout remained higher than female participation across all local bodies. For instance, in taluka panchayats, male turnout was 69.14% compared to 64.39% among women.

The “None of the Above” (NOTA) option was also used by a significant number of voters. A total of 8.37 lakh voters, or 1.38%, chose NOTA across all bodies, with the highest share of 2.39% recorded in district panchayat elections.

The State Election Commission, Gujarat, had at that time managed the large-scale electoral exercise by deploying over 1.38 lakh ballot units and 1.21 lakh control units to ensure smooth polling.

It’s worth noting that the local polls in 2021 were held in the month of February, while due to SIR drive, they are being held in scorching summer season in last week of April in 2026. DeshGujarat