Gujarat to hold panchayat, civic body elections after two-year hiatus; voting on February 16

In addition to the general elections, by-elections will take place across several municipalities and panchayats.
Representative image of a polling station in Gujarat.
Representative image of a polling station in Gujarat.(Photo | PTI)
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AHMEDABAD: The long-awaited dates for elections to Municipal Corporations, District Panchayats, and Taluka Panchayats in Gujarat, whose terms have recently expired, are being unveiled today.

Voters across the state will head to the polls on February 16 for the municipal elections, which will cover 66 municipalities. The results will then be determined with vote counting scheduled for February 18.

The State Election Commission has announced the general elections for Junagadh Municipal Corporation and 66 municipalities across Gujarat on Tuesday, Gujarat will conduct general elections for the Municipal Corporations, including those in Kathlal, Kapadvanj, and Gandhinagar Taluka Panchayats.

Additionally, mid-term elections for the Botad and Wankaner Municipal Corporations have also been called.

Alongside these, by-elections have been scheduled for seats that have fallen vacant across various municipalities and panchayats.

A total of three vacant seats in three Municipal Corporations, 21 seats in Municipal Corporations, 9 seats in District Panchayats, and 91 seats in Taluka Panchayats will go to the polls.

Voting for all these elections will take place on February 16, with the results to be declared on February 18.

In addition to the general elections, by-elections will take place across several municipalities and panchayats.

This includes three vacant seats in three municipalities, mid-term elections for Botad and Wankaner Municipalities, and by-elections for 21 vacant seats in Municipal Corporations, 9 seats in District Panchayats, and 91 seats in Taluka Panchayats.

Voting for all these seats will occur on February 16, with the results announced on February 18.

Elections for several gram panchayats are still pending due to ongoing work on reservation implementation. However congress demands to announce it soon.

The election process in Gujarat, previously stalled due to delays in implementing a 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in local bodies, is now set to move forward.

This follows the Gujarat government's approval of the 27 per cent OBC reservation in August 2023, based on recommendations from the Justice Jhaveri Commission.

The decision comes after a landmark Supreme Court ruling, which mandated that OBC reservations in local bodies must be grounded in population-based data.

Notably, OBC reservations in Gujarat’s local bodies had previously been set at just 10 per cent.

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