AHMEDABAD: During the ongoing vote counting for the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading in 63 of the 192 seats, while the Congress is ahead in 8 seats.Counting is underway at centers including LD Engineering College and Gujarat College. Traffic restrictions have been imposed in surrounding areas since midnight to ensure smooth conduct of the process and maintain security. Polling for local body elections was held on Sunday across 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats in the state. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation recorded a voter turnout of 51.81 per cent. Counting of votes began at 9 am on Tuesday, State Election Commission (SEC) officials said. The elections, considered among the largest electoral exercises in the state ahead of the assembly polls due next year, covered nearly 9,200 seats with over 4.18 crore eligible voters. Overall turnout stood at 55.1 per cent for municipal corporations, 65.53 per cent for municipalities, 66.64 per cent for district panchayats and 67.26 per cent for taluka panchayats, according to SEC data. Among municipal corporations, newly formed Gandhidham in Kutch district recorded the lowest turnout at 46.03 per cent, while Vapi in Valsad district saw the highest at 72.29 per cent. For the first time, polls were held in nine newly created municipal corporations — Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, Porbandar and Surendranagar. The elections were conducted under revised norms for Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations, following extensive delimitation and restructuring of wards in several districts. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and Aam Aadmi Party were the main contenders, while the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) also fielded candidates in several areas.
