Gujarat: The State Election Commission unveiled plans on Monday for by-elections to fill vacancies in various local bodies throughout the state. A total of 32 seats will be up for grabs, spread across 20 municipalities, including three seats in two metropolitan municipalities and 29 seats in 18 smaller municipalities.
The schedule for the election process is as follows: voting will take place on August 6, while the vote count will occur on August 8. The Commission has already set the wheels in motion with the release of the official notification.
The timeline for candidates is also in place. The formal notification for the by-elections will be published on July 17. Aspiring candidates have until July 22 to submit their applications, which will then be verified on July 24. Candidates wishing to withdraw their applications can do so by July 25.
Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers have also been appointed in several municipalities, including Rajkot and Surat. However, dates for the general elections to the local self-government bodies are yet to be announced.
Details regarding the vacancies reveal that the by-elections for the metropolitan municipalities will include a general seat in Surat's Ward No. 20, as well as a Scheduled Tribe (Women) seat and a general seat in Rajkot's Ward No. 15. The 29 remaining seats are distributed among municipalities in Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Narmada, Banaskantha, Surendranagar, Aravalli, Ahmedabad, Anand, Porbandar, Patan, Mehsana, Kheda, Kutch, Girsomnath, and Panchmahal districts.
