Updated 21 February 2021 at 08:35 IST
Gujarat Civic Polls: HM Amit Shah to cast vote in Ahmedabad; CM Vijay Rupani in Rajkot
Amit Shah on Sunday will visit Gujarat to vote for the civic polls in Ahmedabad. HM Shah will cast his vote in the Naranpura ward
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday will visit Gujarat to cast his vote in Ahmedabad for the civic polls. HM Shah will cast his vote in the Naranpura ward of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, as per BJP's official release.
It is said Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, currently under treatment for coronavirus at Ahmedabad's UN Mehta Heart Hospital, will cast his vote in a polling booth in Anil Gyan Mandir School in his hometown Rajkot.
Gujarat Civic Polls
Voting in the civic polls in six major cities of Gujarat will be held between 7 am and 5 pm on Sunday amid tight security and adherence to COVID-19 norms, officials said. The municipal corporation elections in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, and Jamnagar are being seen as a test for Chief Minister Vijay Rupani as it may set the tone for the Assembly polls slated for next year. Votes will be cast for a total of 575 seats with each ward having four corporators, and 2,276 candidates, comprising 577 from the BJP, 566 from the Congress, 470 from AAP, 91 from NCP, 353 from other parties, and 228 Independents, are in the fray, officials informed.
Votes will be counted on February 23, following which, on February 28, polls to 31 districts and 231 taluka panchayats, as well as 81 municipalities will be held, he added. During the campaign, the BJP played the "development" card, while the Congress, which has been out of power in these local bodies for a long time now, cited "lack of amenities" and the recent fuel price hike to turn the tide. The Aam Aadmi Party has claimed it would be an effective alternative to the BJP and Congress, while Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM will make its local bodies poll debut having fielded 21 candidates in six wards in Ahmedabad.Rupani, who tested positive for coronavirus during the campaign, maybe discharged from hospital later in the night and is likely to vote in his hometown Rajkot on Sunday.
(With PTI Inputs)
Published By : Swagata Banerjee
Published On: 21 February 2021 at 08:35 IST