Voting underway for polls to 6 municipal corporations in Guj

Elections to six municipalcorporations in Gujarat are being held on Sunday amid tightsecurity and adherence to COVID-19 norms.

People started queuing up outside polling booths soonafter the voting began at 7 am across various wards in the sixmunicipal corporations in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot,Jamnagar and Bhavnagar.

The voting will continue till 5 pm.

In the morning, elderly voters were also seen atvarious booths, whereprecautions have been taken to followCOVID-19 prevention norms, including use of masks andsanitisers and maintaining social distance.

Local MPs, MLAs and leaders of different politicalparties also arrived at various polling booths in the morningto vote.

Among those who cast their votes in the initial hourswere BJP MP Kirit Solanki and party MLA Rakesh Shah.

Solanki voted at a booth in Ranip area of Ahmedabadalong with his wife and family members, while Shah cast hisvote at a booth in Ellisbridge area of the city.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also scheduled tocast his vote at a booth in Naranpura area of Ahmedabad.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who tested positive forcoronavirus during the campaign some days back, is likely tovote in his hometown Rajkot.

The main contest is between the BJP, which has ruledthe six corporations for last several terms, and the mainopposition Congress.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has claimed it would be aneffective alternative to the BJP and Congress, while AsaduddinOwaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) ismaking its debut in the local bodies polls, having fielded 21candidates in six wards of Ahmedabad.

Around 32,000 policemen have been deployed for votingin 575 seats, with each ward having four corporators,officials said.

A total of 2,276 candidates are contesting the pollsin the six municipal corporations. Besides, nine candidatesare also in the fray for by-elections to two seats in theJunagadh Municipal Corporation.

Those contesting include 577 from the BJP, 566 fromthe Congress, 470 from the AAP, 91 from the NCP, 353 fromother parties and 228 Independents, the officials said.

The municipal corporation elections are being seen asa test for Rupani as it may set the tone for the stateAssembly polls due next year.

As per the State Election Commission, there are atotal of 1.14 crore voters, including 60.60 lakh men and 54.06lakh women.

Of the 11,121 polling booths, 2,255 are markedsensitive and 1,188 have been designated as very sensitive.

Votes will be counted on February 23.

On February 28, elections to 31 district and 231taluka panchayats and 81 municipalities will also be held inthe state.