The Gujarat government has postponed the local body elections — due in 31 district panchayats, 230 block panchayats, six municipal corporations and 56 municipalities — by 3 months over concerns due to the prevailing law and order situation in the State.
The government’s move is seen a reaction to the ongoing agitation launched by the Patel community which is demanding quotas in the government jobs and educational institutes.
On Saturday late night, the State Election Commission issued a notification for postponement of the polls. Before the notification, the State administration promulgated an Ordinance amending the local bodies' election law to enable the administration defer the polls due to the factors other than natural calamities.
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"We promulgated the ordinance to bring enabling provisions to defer the polls if the government feels that the situation on the ground is not conducive and electorate may not be able to exercise the franchise in free and fair manner," said Chief Secretary G.R. Aloria.
A top BJP functionary told The Hindu that the agitation by the Patidar community was a main factor as the Patels form a crucial support base for the saffron party, which has almost 40 MLAs and half a dozen MPs belonging to the community.
"The fact that the agitation is refusing to die down despite all efforts made by the government and the party is a huge concern for the party and the government," the party leader said.
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Meanwhile, the government is set to appoint administrators for Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). "We will appoint administrators for Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara and Jamnagar municipal corporations when their term is over," a top official in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) told The Hindu .
In the last local elections held in 2010, the BJP swept all municipal corporations and district panchayats in the State.