Ahmedabad: Union Home Minister Amit Shah cast his vote along with his family at Booth No. 38 at the Sub-zonal Office in Naranpura area of Ahmedabad, as polling continued across Gujarat for the state’s local body elections Sunday.
HM Shah’s participation came as voting was underway across municipal corporations, municipalities, district panchayats and taluka panchayats in one of the state’s largest grassroots democratic exercises.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation polling, in particular, saw active participation across wards, with lakhs of voters exercising their franchise.
ICC Chairman Jay Shah also arrived to cast his vote in the civic elections. In Bardoli, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Prabhu Vasava appealed for maximum voter turnout, describing the elections as part of the “festival of democracy.”
He said, “Under the festival of democracy in our country, during these local self-government elections, I appeal to all voters, brothers and sisters in Gujarat, to cast 100 per cent votes today. As responsible citizens of India, it is everyone’s moral duty to vote and fulfil their responsibility…”
In Surat, Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil also voted at Uttar Gujarat Vidyalaya in Bhatar along with his family, including his 89-year-old mother.
Speaking after casting his vote, he said, “Gujarat local body elections are being held today. I cast my vote along with my family. My mother, who is around 89 years old, also participated in voting. Voting is both a right and a duty…”
The local body elections are being conducted across Gujarat’s urban and rural local bodies, covering municipal corporations, municipalities, district panchayats and taluka panchayats.
Polling began early in the morning across thousands of booths, with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) deployed at all stations and security arrangements in place.
Similar to Ahmedabad, large-scale polling is underway in districts including Surat, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Morbi, Botad and Tapi.
The State Election Commission has described the polling as a key democratic exercise at the grassroots level, with voting continuing until evening and counting scheduled to take place April 28.