Gandhinagar, April 28 (IANS) The counting of votes for Gujarat’s extensive local body elections is scheduled on Tuesday, with results expected later in the day, according to officials from the State Election Commission.

The counting process will determine the outcome across 15 Municipal Corporations, 84 Municipalities, 34 District Panchayats and 260 Taluka Panchayats, where polling was held on April 26.

Officials said counting will begin at designated centres, with security and administrative arrangements put in place across districts.

More than 9,000 seats are at stake in the elections, making it one of the largest grassroots electoral exercises in the state.

A total of 32,748 nominations had been filed, with over 26,000 candidates remaining in the fray after withdrawals, while several seats were declared elected unopposed ahead of polling.

The elections were contested by major political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), along with independents and smaller parties.

Campaigning had concluded following a mandated silence period before polling, which was conducted using electronic voting machines (EVMs) across thousands of polling stations.

Voter turnout in the local body elections varied across tiers, according to data released by the State Election Commission.

Participation stood at 49.02 per cent in Municipal Corporations, reflecting relatively lower engagement in urban centres, while Municipalities recorded a turnout of 59.50 per cent.

In rural bodies, turnout was higher, with 61.69 per cent in District Panchayats and 62.38 per cent in Taluka Panchayats.

Meanwhile, by-elections to 13 seats in 11 municipalities saw a turnout of 55.38 per cent.

In Ahmedabad, counting will take place at centres including LD Engineering College and Gujarat College, with traffic restrictions imposed in surrounding areas from midnight to facilitate the process and ensure security.

The polls, conducted after delimitation and implementation of a 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes in local bodies, are being closely watched as an indicator of political strength at the grassroots level ahead of future elections in the state.

Officials said results will be declared after completion of counting procedures across all centres.

–IANS

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