Gandhinagar, Feb 10 (IANS) The Gujarat government on Tuesday announced that elections will be held in nine Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in the state, while the tenure of 15 other APMCs has been extended by six months due to administrative reasons, including the ongoing revision of electoral rolls.

The decisions were taken by the Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare and Cooperation Department to ensure the continued and orderly functioning of market committees.

Agriculture and Cooperation Minister Jitu Vaghani said instructions have been issued to initiate the statutory process for declaring election programmes in APMCs whose elected bodies have completed their tenure.

Providing details, Vaghani said the Agriculture Department has informed the Director of Agricultural Marketing and Rural Economy to take immediate action, in accordance with rules, to announce election schedules in market committees where the term has expired.

“This will facilitate the timely selection of farmer representatives at the local level,” he said.

Elections will be conducted in the APMCs of Bhanvad in Devbhumi Dwarka district, Dholera in Ahmedabad district, Talod in Sabarkantha, Sagbara in Narmada, Kukarmunda in Tapi, Surendranagar, Kamrej in Surat district, and Ranpur and Barwala in Botad district.

The election process in these committees is expected to begin shortly. At the same time, the state government has approved a six-month extension for 15 APMCs where elections cannot be organised immediately.

The minister said that district registrars and office staff are currently engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, as directed by the State Election Commission.

“Due to the ongoing voter list revision work, it is not possible to immediately conduct elections in certain market committees whose tenure has expired or is nearing expiry,” Vaghani said.

The APMCs granted a six-month extension from the date of notification include Thasra and Galteshwar in Kheda district; Deodar, Bhabhar and Dhanera in Banaskantha district; Junagadh; Dholka and Bavla in Ahmedabad district; Becharaji in Mehsana district; Shehera in Panchmahal district; Nasvadi and Chhota Udepur in Chhota Udepur district; Prantij in Sabarkantha district; Gadhada in Botad district; and Khambha in Amreli district.

The government clarified that market committees where the election process is being undertaken based on judicial orders or court verdicts will not be eligible for the six-month extension.

–IANS

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