Clash at Kubernagar polling booth as BJP, Congress workers face off during AMC elections

Tension prevailed during the Amdavad Municipal Corporation elections on Sunday after workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress allegedly engaged in a heated confrontation at a polling station in the Kubernagar area.

According to reports, the altercation took place at the polling booth set up at VV Tomar High School, where supporters of both parties came face-to-face amid polling.

Workers from the two rival parties levelled allegations and counter-allegations against each other over alleged irregularities in the voting process, leading to a commotion at the polling station.

A total of 652 candidates are in the fray, representing major political parties including the BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), AIMIM, along with a number of independent contenders. The contest is being closely tracked, particularly in light of the BJP’s continued dominance in the civic body over the past two decades.

The BJP has held power in the AMC since 2005.

Polling comes amid challenging summer conditions, with high temperatures expected to influence voter turnout.

The city’s voter base has also seen a significant shift. As per the final electoral roll released on April 1, Ahmedabad now has 38,00,507 registered voters, a sharp decline of over 8.24 lakh compared to 2021 figures. In contrast, the 2015 voter count stood at 38,79,771. Notably, 45 of the 48 wards have recorded a drop in voter numbers, pointing to a reshaped electoral landscape.

Navrangpura has reported the steepest decline, with nearly 30,000 fewer voters, while Nikol has registered the highest increase, adding 3,902 voters. Chandkheda and Maktampura are the only other wards to witness a rise in voter numbers.