Gujarat local body elections live: State witnesses 40.92 % voter turnout, at 5 pm Vapi records highest voter turnout

Gujarat is witnessing one of the largest rounds of local body elections in the state in recent years, involving municipal corporations, municipalities, and panchayati raj institutions today.

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Live updates

5 pm update 

Vapi records the highest voter turnout in the state at 57.65%, while Porbandar registers the lowest at 32.56% among municipal corporations.

Narmada district voting resumes at 12.30 pm after Chaitar Vasava resolves boycott issue

In Narmada district’s Dediapada taluka, villagers of Fulsar–Duthar ended their election boycott following mediation by AAP MLA Chaitar Vasava.

The villagers had earlier decided to boycott voting over a road issue, as the approved tar road from Fulsar to Duthar was stalled due to pending wildlife clearance from the forest department. Angered by the delay, residents refused to vote.

Upon learning about the situation, Chaitar Vasava rushed to the spot and held a meeting with administrative officials. Authorities from the Roads and Buildings Department and the Forest Department provided a written assurance that necessary approvals would be secured and the road work would be completed within a month.

Following this written commitment, villagers resumed voting at around 12:30 pm, resolving the tense situation that had emerged in the Rajpipla region on polling day.

4 pm update 

Vapi records the highest voter turnout in the state at 53.74% among municipal corporations

At 3 pm Gujarat witnesses 32.17 % voter turnout

Vapi records the highest voter turnout at 51.21% in the state, while Gandhidham sees the lowest at 25.52% across municipal corporations.

At 2 pm Gujarat witnesses 31.32% voter turnout

1.30 pm voter turnout update of Municpal corporations across Gujarat

Morbi – 39.80%

Navsari – 39.58%

Vapi – 39.00%

Nadiad – 38.62%

Mehsana – 37.71%

Karamsad–Anand – 32.92%

Surat – 32.32%

Surendranagar – 31.37%

Bhavnagar – 31.29%

Vadodara – 30.60%

Rajkot – 30.22%

Jamnagar – 29.94%

Ahmedabad – 26.05%

Gandhidham – 25.52%

Porbandar – 24.37%

Gujarat witnesses 20.1% voter turnout till 1 pm

With highest voting in Vapi (38.77%)

Union Minister C R Patil cast his vote at Uttar Gujarat Vidyalaya in Surat

Union Minister C R Patil says, "Gujarat local body elections are being held today. I casted my vote along with my family. My mother, who is around 89 years old, also participated in voting. Voting is both a right and a duty..."

Voters struggle to locate booths in Kutch

Similar to Ahmedabad, administrative lapses have come to light in Kutch district as well. In Bhuj, voters were seen struggling to locate their polling booths. Due to lack of clear information, voters had to wander around despite their names being on the list. The absence of proper polling booth details led to visible frustration among voters.

Congress candidate and 20 others detained in Rajkot

A startling incident occurred in Rajkot in the midst of the ongoing polling process. The police have detained 20 individuals, including Makbul Davdani, the Congress candidate for Ward No 15.

14.94% voting registered by 11.30 am

At 11.30 am, Gujarat recorded an average voter turnout of 14.49% across polling booths

MLA Hardik Patel casts vote in Viramgam

Groom heads to poll booth for voting from wedding mandap in Godhra

Congress alleges attack on Anand civic poll candidate, calls It ‘Assault on Democracy’

A political row has erupted in Gujarat’s Anand district after the Congress alleged that its candidate for Ward No. 13 of the Karamsad-Anand Municipal Corporation, Harshil Dave, was attacked by supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the ongoing local body election campaign.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Congress claimed that Dave described by the party as a young and educated leader who has consistently raised public issues in Anand, was assaulted by the BJP candidate and his associates, whom the party characterised as anti-social elements.

The Congress termed the alleged incident an attack on democracy, asserting that violence and intimidation had no place in the electoral process.

Two brides Chhota Udepur cast their votes amid their haldi ceremony

6.56% voting registered by 10.30 am

At 10:30 am, Gujarat recorded an average voter turnout of 6.56% across polling booths, amid an election boycott in Mehsana and EVM malfunction reports in Vasna.

Election boycott in Mehsana

The residents of Dela village in Mehsana district have officially boycotted the elections. Despite the voting process having started two hours ago, not a single voter has turned up at the polling station.

Fire breaks out at voting center in Godhra

A chaotic scene unfolded today at the Sharda Mandir School voting center, located on Bamroli Road in Godhra, when a sudden fire broke out. The incident occurred just before the commencement of the voting process for the local body elections, leading to a frantic atmosphere as people rushed to safety.

Here is the translation of the news snippet regarding the delay in Jamnagar:

Voting delayed by one hour in Jamnagar due to EVM malfunction

Voting started an hour late at a polling station in Jamnagar after an EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) developed a technical snag.

Polling across the state is scheduled to take place between 7 AM. and 6 PM. using Electronic Voting Machines, with counting of votes set for April 28.

The elections will cover 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats, with more than 10,000 seats at stake.

5% voting in 1 hour

Within one hour of the start of voting for local body elections in Gujarat, initial figures have come in. It has been learned that in many constituencies, voting had not even started for nearly an hour due to malfunctions in EVMs. However, overall, an average of around 5% voting has been recorded so far.

Over 4.19 crore voters are expected to participate across nearly 50,000 polling stations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to be in Ahmedabad on Sunday to cast their votes in the upcoming local self-government elections in Gujarat. 

PM Modi is expected to vote at a polling booth located at Nishan School in the Ranip area of Ahmedabad, while Amit Shah is likely to cast his vote at a polling station in the city.

Former Chief Minister and Uttar Pradesh Governor, Anandiben Patel, is expected to vote from the Thaltej area in the city, while Madhya Pradesh Governor, Mangubhai Patel, is likely to cast his vote in Navsari.

The contest is expected to be multi-cornered, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Independents fielding candidates across the state.

In total, more than 20,000 candidates remain in the fray after withdrawals, while several candidates have already been elected unopposed.

This election cycle is also significant as it is the first to be conducted after the implementation of 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), alongside existing quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women, which together are expected to reshape the composition of local governance bodies.

(With inputs from syndicated feed)