More than 58 per cent voting was reported in the Gujarat municipality and panchayat polls held on Sunday.
“It's very high voting across the State in the rural and semi-urban areas. Overall turnout would reach almost 60 per cent compared to the 47 per cent registered for six municipal polls,” a State Election Commission official said.
Missing names
Incidents of deletion or missing of names from the voters’ list were reported. “I could not vote because my name was deleted from the list,” said Ramesh Patel, a resident of Bopal, one of the municipalities that went to polls.
Thirty one district panchayats, 56 municipalities and 230 block panchayats went for voting in the second round of polling. In total, 19,724 candidates are in fray for 7,708 seats of local self-government institutions where 2.6 crores voters were registered to exercise.
Officials said there were a few incidents of scuffle between workers of different parties, while many voters boycotted casting the ballot at several places.
“There were a few incidents of scuffles. In the Amreli district, police was forced to resort to firing to disperse mobs near a police booth,” a top police official said, adding that authorities had made heavy deployment of police and paramilitary personnel to ensure voting was peaceful.
“We had paramilitary forces and also police teams from neighbouring States like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan,” he told The Hindu.
Earlier on November 22, voting was held for six municipal corporations in which 47 per cent turnout was registered.
For the BJP, the second round is more crucial because the party is apparently facing anti-incumbency sentiments in rural and semi-urban areas where a poor monsoon, crop failures and slowdown in the economy have fuelled the discontent with the sitting government among the electorate.
The Patidar agitation for quotas also contributed to the anger against the ruling BJP, which has ruled out granting any reservation benefits to the politically and financially strong community.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel, who exercised his franchise at his native village Piraman in Bharuch district, said the high voting highlighted the anti-incumbency factor against the BJP government.
“The Congress will win the local polls in Gujarat because the State and the Central government have neglected the rural areas in the State,” Mr Patel, a Rajya Sabha member, said.
However, Chief Minister Anandiben Patel expressed confidence for a BJP victory in the elections.
