Gujarat local polls: Gandhinagar records 31.90 pc turnout after six hours of voting

Gandhinagar: The Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) elections recorded a voter turnout of 31.90 per cent by 1 p.m. on Sunday, with 82,945 of the 2,59,985 registered voters having cast their votes across the civic body's 11 wards, according to the State Election Commission's data.

Ward 4 recorded the highest turnout at 42.20 per cent, with 8,927 votes polled among its 21,156 electors. Ward 2 followed with 37.35 per cent, while Ward 1 recorded 41.23 per cent, according to the poll data report.

Ward 5 registered the lowest turnout at 26.09 per cent, with 3,402 votes cast out of 13,040 registered voters.

Wards 8, 10 and 11 recorded turnouts of 26.91 per cent, 26.26 per cent and 30.45 per cent, respectively.

Male voters accounted for 47,027 votes, representing a turnout of 35.47 per cent among the 1,32,570 registered male electors. Among the 1,27,406 female electors, 35,918 had voted, taking their turnout to 28.19 per cent.

The electoral roll also includes nine electors in the third-gender category. Polling began at 7 a.m. and is scheduled to continue until 6 p.m. Elections are being held for all 44 seats across the GMC's 11 wards, with 130 candidates in the fray.

The main contest is among the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The civic elections are being held alongside polls in Okha and Thara municipalities and by-elections to vacant seats in other local bodies across Gujarat.

The State Election Commission announced the election schedule on September 16, following which the model code of conduct came into force.

The GMC last went to the polls in October 2021, when the BJP won 41 of the 44 seats. Congress secured two seats, while the AAP won one.

The counting of votes is scheduled for October 13. And, if repolling is required, then it will be held on Monday, the officials have said.

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