Gujarat sees 47% turnout in municipal corporation polls

Following the recent quota stir by the Patidars, the local body polls are seen as a key test for Anandiben Patel's govt

After a low turnout for first half of the day, voting for six municipal corporation polls in Gujarat stood at 47 per cent on Sunday, as against 43.68 per cent in the previous polls.

Following the quota agitation by the Patidar (Patel) community in recent months, the local body polls are seen as a crucial test for the Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel led government. While Sunday saw polling for six municipal corporations including Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar, that for nagarpalikas and taluka panchayats will be held on November 29.

Municipal coropration-wise, Ahmedabad saw a turnout of 47 per cent as against 44.12 in the previous polls, Rajkot 52 per cent (41.06 per cent), Vadodara 43 per cent (44.41 per cent), Surat 42 per cent (42.33 per cent), Jamnagar 50 per cent (50.35 per cent), and Bhavnagar 49 per cent (47 per cent).
 

Polling took place in two-phased manner for picking up four candidates each in the 572 municipal wards.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which currently rules all the six municipal corporations that went to polls, is seeing its first electoral test after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made way for Anandiben Patel for the chief minister role in Gujarat post 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Sunday saw Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani casting their votes in their respective wards, amid tight security by the police aided by central reserve police teams across the 13,000 polling stations.