Gujarat’s local body elections on Sunday saw an overall voter turnout of 57.13%, but the day was marked by three deaths linked to suspected heart attacks and a political clash in Tapi district that spread on social media.
Turnout across categories stood at 48.55% for municipal corporations, 58.12% for municipalities, 60.66% for district panchayats and 61.22% for taluka panchayats.
Three deaths reported on polling day
In Petlad, polling staff member Amitbhai Solanki collapsed at booth No. 1 in Sansej village while on duty. He was rushed to Tarapur Government Hospital, where he was declared dead, reportedly due to a heart attack.
In Patan, a 65-year-old voter, Kamlaben Solanki, collapsed at a polling station while attempting to cast her vote. Despite immediate medical attention, she died, allegedly due to a heart attack.
In Jamnagar, AAP candidate Narendrasinh Jadeja, 38, from Ward No. 3 of the municipal corporation elections, died after suffering a heart attack during polling. His death sent shockwaves through local political circles.
BJP factional clash in Tapi goes viral
Tensions surfaced in Tapi district near a polling booth in Buhari village, where a verbal clash broke out between supporters of former Pradesh Yuva Morcha Minister Suraj Desai and District BJP General Secretary Amit Patel. The incident, which exposed internal factionalism within the party, spread rapidly on social media. Police and local leaders intervened. No formal complaint has been filed.
Turnout through the day
By 5 pm, Vapi led all municipal corporations with 57.65%, while Porbandar registered the lowest at 32.56%. At 4 pm, Vapi stood at 53.74%. The 3 pm statewide average was 32.17%, with Vapi at 51.21% and Gandhidham lowest at 25.52%.
At 1:30 pm, Morbi led corporations at 39.80%, followed by Navsari at 39.58% and Vapi at 39.00%. Ahmedabad stood at 26.05% and Porbandar at the bottom with 24.37%. The statewide average at 1 pm was 20.1%, with Vapi highest at 38.77%.
By 11:30 am, Gujarat had registered 14.94% turnout. Within the first hour, approximately 5% voting was recorded, though several booths saw delayed starts due to EVM malfunctions.
Boycott resolved in Narmada after AAP MLA steps in
Voting in Fulsar-Duthar village of Dediapada taluka in Narmada district resumed at 12:30 pm after AAP MLA Chaitar Vasava intervened to end an election boycott. Villagers had refused to vote over a stalled tar road held up due to pending wildlife clearance from the forest department. After Vasava met with officials on the spot, the Roads and Buildings Department and Forest Department issued a written assurance that approvals would be secured and the road completed within a month. Voting resumed shortly after.
EVM glitches, fire and booth confusion
Voting started an hour late at a polling station in Jamnagar due to an EVM technical fault. Malfunctions were also reported in Vasna. Residents of Dela village in Mehsana boycotted the election entirely, with not a single voter turning up even two hours after polling began.
A fire broke out at Sharda Mandir School on Bamroli Road in Godhra, serving as a voting centre, just before polling commenced. In Bhuj, Kutch, voters struggled to locate their assigned booths due to inadequate information, mirroring lapses reported in Ahmedabad.
Congress alleges attack on candidate in Anand, detentions in Rajkot
Congress alleged its Ward No. 13 candidate for Karamsad-Anand Municipal Corporation, Harshil Dave, was attacked by BJP candidate supporters during the campaign. The party called it an assault on democracy. The BJP has not responded.
In Rajkot, police detained 20 people including Congress candidate Makbul Davdani of Ward No. 15 during polling.
VIPs at the booths
Union Minister C R Patil voted at Uttar Gujarat Vidyalaya in Surat. “I cast my vote along with my family. My mother, who is around 89 years old, also participated in voting. Voting is both a right and a duty,” he said. MLA Hardik Patel voted in Viramgam.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected to vote at Nishan School in Ranip, Ahmedabad. Home Minister Amit Shah was also expected to vote in the city. UP Governor Anandiben Patel was expected to vote from Thaltej, while MP Governor Mangubhai Patel was likely to vote in Navsari.
Scale and significance
The elections covered 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats, with more than 10,000 seats at stake. Over 4.19 crore voters were registered across nearly 50,000 polling stations. More than 20,000 candidates remained in the fray after withdrawals, with several elected unopposed. Counting is on April 28.
This is the first election cycle after the implementation of 27% OBC reservation, alongside existing quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women a shift expected to reshape local governance bodies across Gujarat.
(With inputs from syndicated feed)
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