Ahmedabad: The electoral picture for 393 local self-government bodies became clear on Thursday following the withdrawal of nomination forms a day before. A total of 25,579 candidates remain in the fray for 9,297 seats out of the 10,005 seats going to polls.

Elections will not be held for one seat in the Chikhlod Ward of Phagvel Taluka Panchayat, as no candidate filed a nomination. Meanwhile, the State Election Commission has declared 707 seats uncontested.

Of the 2,637 municipality seats, 365 have been won uncontested by the BJP, 12 by the Congress, and three by independent candidates.

In municipal corporations, 43 seats have been declared uncontested, along with 37 in district panchayats and 239 in taluka panchayats.

Overall, out of the 707 uncontested seats, 692 have gone to BJP candidates, a record figure.

Final Picture of Candidates in the Election Arena

According to the State Election Commission, a total of 39,389 nomination forms were submitted for the 10,005 seats, including by-elections. Of these, 11,444 forms were rejected during scrutiny. Following the withdrawal deadline on Wednesday, 1,659 candidates withdrew their nominations, bringing the final tally to 25,579 candidates in the fray.

These local body elections, being conducted on such a large scale for the first time in over a decade, are taking place during peak summer. As a result, ensuring voter turnout on polling day could pose a significant challenge. Voting will be held on April 26.

Notably, the ruling BJP has fielded the highest number of candidates, with 9,296 contestants across urban and rural bodies. The Congress has 8,443 candidates in the fray, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded 5,261 candidates. Additionally, 2,527 independent candidates are contesting.

With the scrutiny process complete, candidates now have limited time to campaign, with canvassing permitted until 6 pm on April 24. Political parties have intensified their grassroots outreach and campaign efforts, deploying star campaigners to maximise voter engagement. DeshGujarat