Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation polls 2021: Voting underway for election of 44 councillors

 Voting is underway to elect 44 councillors in 11 wards to the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) after campaigning ended on Friday evening that saw Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel holding a roadshow for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Elections, which were supposed to be held in April but got postponed due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, will continue till 6 pm today, while results will be declared on October 5.

There are 2.8 lakh registered voters in Gandhinagar. The number of wards, each with four seats, was increased to 11 from eight in 2016 when the Congress and BJP won 16 seats each, due to delimitation and inclusion of more areas.

This year's polls are going to be a triple-pronged contest with the Aam Aadmi Party exuding confidence that people are eyeing it as an alternative to the BJP and Congress. It is to be noted that AAP had fared extremely well in the Surat local body elections earlier this year.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia had held a road show on September 29, while the Congress organised smaller meetings and engaged in door-to-door campaigning.

The BJP held a 20-kilometre roadshow on Friday from Pethapur to Kudasan in which CM Bhupendra Patel and state party chief CR Paatil took part.

Elections are also being held in Okha and Thara municipalities, while Bhanvad municipality will see mid-term elections, apart from bypolls, for 104 vacant seats in local bodies.