Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah Expected to Vote in Ahmedabad Local Elections

Ahmedabad, April 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to arrive in Ahmedabad on Sunday to cast their votes in the local self-government elections taking place in Gujarat.

Prime Minister Modi is likely to vote at the Nishan School polling station in the Rani P area, while Amit Shah will cast his vote at a polling center in the city. Their participation comes at a time when the state is witnessing the largest round of local body elections related to municipal corporations, municipalities, and panchayati raj institutions in recent years.

Former Chief Minister and Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Anandiben Patel, is expected to vote from the Thaltej area of the city, while Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel is likely to cast his vote in Navsari.

Voting across the state is taking place from 7 AM to 6 PM using electronic voting machines, with the counting of votes scheduled for April 28.

The elections encompass 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats, and 260 taluka panchayats. Over 4.19 crore voters are expected to participate at approximately 50,000 polling stations.

This election is anticipated to be multi-faceted, with candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and independent candidates contesting across the state.

Overall, more than 20,000 candidates remain in the fray after withdrawals, with several candidates already elected unopposed. This election cycle is particularly significant as it is the first to be held after the implementation of 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC), which, alongside existing quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women, is expected to reshape the structure of local administrative bodies.

BJP’s Jagdish Vishwakarma urged citizens across the state to exercise their voting rights in large numbers for the upcoming local body elections. He stated, “Local self-governance institutions are the foundation of democracy. Voting as an aware citizen is our sacred duty. Every citizen’s vote is crucial and fundamental to strengthening democracy.”

Vishwakarma also promoted the slogan “Vote First, Then Snacks,” encouraging voters to head to polling stations with their families on voting day.

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