Counting of votes for Gujarat local body polls to begin soon

Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], February 23 (ANI): Counting of votes polled in elections to six municipal corporations of Gujarat that were held on Sunday, will start at 9 am on Tuesday.
District Collector Shalini Agarwal during a press conference on Monday said: "We are following the COVID-19 protocol and proper security arrangements have been taken place at the eight-strong rooms. The counting of votes will begin at 9 am tomorrow."
The six civic bodies - Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar - were being ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The State Election Commission (SEC) has said an average 46.08 per cent turnout was registered during voting which was held between 7 AM and 6 PM on Sunday.
Ahmedabad recorded the lowest turnout of 42.51 per cent, while Jamnagar saw the highest turnout of 53.38 per cent, followed by 50.72 per cent in Rajkot, 49.46 per cent in Bhavnagar, 47.84 per cent in Vadodara and 47.14 per cent in Surat. Of the total 1.14 crore voters registered in these major cities of Gujarat, 52.83 lakh had cast their ballots, the SEC said in a release.
Elections to 81 municipalities, 31 district panchayats and 231 taluka panchayats are scheduled on February 28.
"The results for six municipal corporations will be declared on February 23, while results of 81 municipalities, 31 district panchayats and 231 taluka panchayats results are scheduled to be declared on March 2," the SEC had said.
The Union Home Minister cast his vote at Naranpura Sub Zonal Office in Ahmedabad, along with his family members on Sunday. He also expressed confidence that the people of the state will establish Gujarat as the stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). (ANI)