Gandhinagar, April 24 (IANS) The State Election Commission of Gujarat has confirmed that 736 seats have been won uncontested ahead of the local self-government elections scheduled for April 26.

​According to official data released on Friday, these unopposed victories span across all tiers of local governance, including municipal corporations, municipalities, and panchayats. In the 84 municipalities under general elections, 385 out of 2,624 seats were won uncontested.

​This resulted in 53 wards being declared entirely uncontested, meaning voting will proceed in the remaining 603 wards with 5,441 candidates in the fray.

​In the 15 municipal corporations, 43 of the 1,044 seats were won unopposed; however, as no single ward was entirely uncontested, voting will take place across all 261 wards for the remaining 1,001 seats, involving 3,145 candidates.​

In rural local bodies, 52 seats out of 1,090 in the 34 district panchayats were won uncontested, leaving 1,038 constituencies to go to the polls with 3,059 candidates.​

For the 260 taluka panchayats, 252 of the 5,234 seats were settled without opposition. Additionally, four seats in the 11 municipalities undergoing by-elections were won unopposed, leaving 21 candidates in the nine contested wards. Several seats will remain vacant or have had their elections postponed.​

No nomination forms were submitted for the 1-Adiya (Harij, Patan) and 11-Satlasana-02 (Mehsana) taluka panchayat seats. Elections for 3-Astan (Bardoli, Surat), 4-Dahegamda (Bavla, Ahmedabad), and 6-Chitariya (Vijaynagar, Sabarkantha) were cancelled due to the death of recognized political party candidates.​

In the Fagvel taluka panchayat of Kheda, the election for the Chikhlod seat was cancelled after all valid candidates withdrew their nominations.​

Across the state, 25,537 candidates remain in the fray for 8,263 contested seats.​

The electorate consists of 40,816,713 total voters, including 21,071,001 men, 19,744,864 women, and 848 others. To facilitate the vote, the commission has readied 48,450 polling stations, 1,08,188 Balloting Units, and 1,22,951 Control Units.​

A total of 92,583 police personnel and 2,64,715 polling staff have been deployed, with 14,275 sensitive and 2,196 hyper-sensitive booths identified.​

State Election Commission Secretary R.G. Gohil stated that the Commission’s goal is for the elections to be held “completely fair, free, and in a peaceful atmosphere.”​

He added: “The State Election Commission expresses faith that political parties, leaders, candidates, voters, and the public will cooperate in this campaign of the democratic festival.”​

Logistical measures include a “dry day” from 6 p.m. on April 24 until 6.pm. on April 26, and during the counting day on April 28.

The Labour Commissioner has mandated a three-hour voting leave for employees under the Gujarat Shops and Establishments Act 2019, provided it does not create a “dangerous situation” or “substantial loss.”​

Furthermore, heatwave mitigation measures, including shade, water, and ORS, are arranged at all booths. Voters must present their Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC).​

Those without an EPIC may use 14 alternative documents: Passport, PAN card, Government/PSU/Public Limited employee ID, Driving License, Bank/Post Office passbook with photo, SC/ST/OBC certificate, Pension document, Freedom Fighter ID, Arms License, Disability certificate, MNREGA Job Card, ESI card, NPR Smart Card, or Aadhaar card.

These must have been issued at least one month prior to the election date. Polling will take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.​

–IANS

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