Civic poll campaign ends in 6 Guj cities, voting on Feb 21

People are not getting clean water despitepaying high taxes under BJP rule. There is absolutely nodevelopment in sectors like education and health care.

Campaigning for polls to civiccorporations in six major cities of Gujarat ended on Fridaywith voting scheduled for February 21.

Counting of votes for these polls in Ahmedabad,Rajkot, Vadodara, Surat, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar will takeplace in February 23.

While the BJP is playing the ''development'' card, theCongress, which has been out of power in these local bodiesfor a long time now, has been citing ''lack of amenities'' andthe recent fuel price hike to turn the tide.

The last day of campaigning saw Gujarat BJP chief CRPaatil leading a well-attended road show on a 22-kilometreroute from Naroda to Khadia here, with state ministerPradeepsinh Jadeja and Rajya Sabha MP Narhari Amin takingpart.

Paatil told reporters such events were held by theparty in all the cities going to polls, including in Rajkot,where motorcycle rallies were organised in all 18 wards.

Citing huge crowds, Paatil said, ''People are in ourfavour because of our track record and good governance.'' For the Congress, its state unit chief Amit Chavda leda rally in Vadodara, marked by placards criticisng the BJPled-government at the Centre for fuel and LPG price hikes andstate government for bad roads and contaminated water, whileleader of opposition in the state Assembly Paresh Dhananicampaigned in Jamnagar.

''Not just in Vadodara, people living in other citiesare reeling under price rise, rampant corruption andunemployment. People are not getting clean water despitepaying high taxes under BJP rule. There is absolutely nodevelopment in sectors like education and health care. I amsure people will vote for change this time,'' Chavda said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), claiming to be thealternative to the BJP and the Congress, took part in thecampaigning with roadshows etc, and it said Delhi ChiefMinister Arvind Kejriwal would address voters through Facebooklive on Friday at 9:30 pm.

The other major party in the fray is AsaduddinOwaisi's AIMIM, which, on debut, has fielded 21 candidates insix wards in Ahmedabad.