Ahmedabad: Gujarat is set to hold elections for 8,326 Gram Panchayats on June 22, with the vote counting on June 25. The official election notification will be issued on June 2, and candidates can submit their nomination papers till June 9.
The scrutiny of nominations will take place on June 10, while June 11 has been set as the final date to withdraw candidacies. These elections will allow approximately 1.3 crore voters across the state to exercise their democratic rights at the grassroots level.
The State Election Commission has imposed specific expenditure limits for Sarpanch candidates based on the size of the Gram Panchayat. Candidates in Panchayats with up to 12 wards can spend up to ₹15,000, while those in Panchayats with 13 to 22 wards have a limit of ₹30,000. For Panchayats with more than 22 wards, the spending cap is ₹45,000. However, there are no defined spending limits for ward member candidates.
It is important to note that Gram Panchayat elections in Gujarat are non-partisan and are not contested on political party symbols. Instead of electronic voting machines, the voting process will be conducted through traditional ballot papers.
The delay in announcing these elections was due to the state government’s efforts to revise the reservation system for Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The proposal aimed to increase OBC reservation from 10% to 27% as part of the rotation policy. To implement this change, the state government established the Zaveri Commission and passed the required legislation in the assembly.
However, delays in completing the procedural requirements led to the postponement of the elections. With these hurdles now resolved, district collectors across the state have been directed to declare the rotation of reserved posts, including those for Sarpanch. Elections will be held for all Gram Panchayats whose terms expired between April 1, 2022, and June 30, 2025.
State Election Commissioner S. Muralikrishna announced that the model code of conduct has come into immediate effect, marking the formal beginning of the election process.