Rajkot, April 2 (IANS) The Gujarat Congress will begin announcing candidates for the upcoming local self-government elections in phases from April 5, with more than 50 per cent of tickets to be allotted to youth, state party chief Amit Chavda said on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference in Rajkot, Chavda said the process of finalising candidates was nearing completion following extensive consultations across districts.

“From April 5, lists of candidates will be announced in phases. First, candidates for municipal corporations will be declared, followed by phased announcements for nearly 10,000 seats across Gujarat,” he said.

He added that district- and city-level election committees had already completed the selection process, with the state leadership set to hold meetings from April 4 to give final approval in the presence of party in-charges.

“The Congress party has decided to give priority to District Election Committees in candidate selection, and final consent will be given by the state committee,” he said.

Highlighting the party’s strategy, Chavda said youth representation would be a central feature.

“More than 50 per cent of seats will be given to youth,” he said, adding that preference would also be given to individuals who raise issues affecting society, fight for people’s rights, and seek to protect ‘Panchayati Raj’ and local self-government institutions.

Chavda said the party had been preparing for the elections for a considerable period, citing outreach initiatives such as the ‘Kisan Aakrosh Yatra’ in Saurashtra and the subsequent ‘Jan Aakrosh Yatra’ across Gujarat.

“Through these programmes, direct communication was established with the people,” he said.

Alleging corruption in local bodies under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said, “In local self-government institutions across Gujarat, BJP leaders have indulged in open loot. Public tax money is being looted and corruption is widespread.”

He added that people across regions and sections were ready for a change.

The Congress leader also said that observers had visited all districts in Saurashtra at the taluka level to interact with party workers and assess potential candidates.

“Coordination has been carried out at all levels,” he said.

He further stated that legal teams had been activated in every district to address potential issues during the election process.

“Attempts are often made to pressure candidates, get nomination forms rejected or withdrawn, and intimidate them. This time, the Congress party is fully prepared to firmly counter all such efforts,” he said, adding that legal mechanisms were in place to respond immediately to any irregularities.

Chavda said the party would contest the elections with full strength.

–IANS

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