Gujarat Local Body Polls Underway; BJP Eyes Momentum in 9 New Corporations
Gujarat Local Body Polls Underway; BJP Eyes Momentum in 9 New Corporations
Gujarat's local elections open across 25,537 seats, with nine new municipal corporations voting for the first time as turnout and EVM glitches shape the day.
Polling began at 7am and will run until 6pm across Gujarat, where 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats are voting in the first such exercise after the electoral roll Special Intensive Revision.
The election, with more than 41.8 million eligible voters and 25,537 candidates, also marks the first time nine newly formed municipal corporations in Nadiad, Surendranagar, Anand, Navsari, Vapi, Morbi, Gandhidham, Porbandar, and Mehsana go to the polls for the first time.
BJP, in power since 1995, is aiming to build momentum ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. Chief minister Bhupendra Patel cast his vote in Ahmedabad as polling kicked off across the state.
Early turnout figures showed Surat around 5% in the first hour and Ahmedabad about 4% in the first two hours, with the State Election Commission reporting average turnout by category roughly in the mid-teens: municipal corporations about 15.1%, municipalities 22.97%, taluka panchayats 22.12%, and district panchayats 21.03% up to 11:30am.
Electronic Voting Machine malfunctions were reported at multiple locations during the opening hours, delaying voting in several places, underscoring the day’s logistics challenges.
Opposition parties have alleged pressure and inducements behind large-scale withdrawals of candidates, a charge the BJP has rejected. The polls are watched as a barometer of party strength ahead of next year’s assembly elections, highlighting the contested landscape in urban Gujarat.
