Polling underway in 3,894 gram panchayats in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: As many as 3,894 gram panchayats went to polls in Gujarat on Sunday in the first such exercise after the state government announced 27 per cent reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the local bodies elections in 2023.

The State Election Commission (SEC) said 81 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to elect 3,656 sarpanchs and 16,224 panchayat members.

People queued up in large numbers in rural Gujarat to cast their votes using ballot papers across 10,479 polling stations.

Polling has been largely peaceful, with a few incidents of violence, and people turned up to vote despite the rains in parts of the state.

In a village in Banaskantha district, a 95-year-old woman arrived to exercise her franchise with her grandson amid heavy rains.

Police personnel assisted the elderly and differently-abled voters.

Kheda MLA Arjunsinh Chauhan and former Tharad MLA Gujlabsinh Rajput were among the early voters.

"Panchayat is an important pillar of democracy, so the right candidate should win the elections. I would appeal to people to record 100 per cent voting," Chauhan said.

An incident of violence was reported in Panchmahal district, where the son of a sarpanch candidate was attacked by rival groups in Dhanitra village and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The counting of votes will take place on June 25.

The SEC has identified 3,939 polling stations as sensitive and 336 as highly sensitive.

Out of 8,326 gram panchayats, for which elections were declared on May 25, general and mid-term polls are being held for 3,541, and bypolls for 353 panchayats.

As many as 1,023 gram panchayats have been declared uncontested and vacant with no candidate filing nomination, the SEC said.

The SEC said gram panchayat polls in six talukas under the Kadi and Visavadar assembly seats were cancelled due to by-elections held there on Thursday.

Gram panchayat elections are usually not contested on party lines. Candidates do not fight on party tickets, though they may be affiliated with political parties.

This is the first time that elections are being held on a big scale in Gujarat after the state government in August 2023 announced a 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in panchayats, municipalities and civic corporations on recommendations of the Zaveri Commission's report.

Earlier, OBC reservation in local bodies was capped at 10 per cent.

After the Supreme Court ruled that the OBC reservation should be proportionate to their population, the state government, in July 2022, set up the KS Jhaveri Commission to gather and analyse data on the nature and implications of backwardness in local bodies.

The existing quota for Scheduled Castes (14 per cent) and Scheduled Tribes (7 per cent) in local bodies remained unchanged, and there has been no breach of the 50 per cent reservation ceiling.