Key Highlights

• Turnout: 31.90% by 1 pm, with 82,945 of 2,59,985 voters casting their ballots.
• Highest: Ward 4 at 42.20%.
• Lowest: Ward 5 at 26.09%.
• Gender gap: Men’s turnout at 35.47% versus 28.19% for women.
• Results: Counting on October 13.

Voting for the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) recorded a turnout of 31.90% by 1 pm on Sunday, six hours after polling began at 7 am, according to State Election Commission data. Polling continues until 6 pm.

All 44 seats across 11 wards are up for election, with 130 candidates in the fray. The main contest is between the BJP, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party.

Ward-Wise Turnout (by 1 PM)

Why It Matters: A Gender Gap and a Big Incumbent

Two things stand out from the midday numbers. First, women’s turnout trails men’s by over 7 percentage points: 35.47% of men had voted compared with 28.19% of women. Whether that gap narrows by evening, when many women typically vote after household work, will be worth watching.

Second, the stakes are about the margin more than the winner. In the last GMC election in October 2021, the BJP won 41 of 44 seats, with the Congress taking two and AAP one. The opposition’s challenge this time is to dent that dominance in the state capital.

Wider Polls

The GMC election is being held alongside polls in Okha and Thara municipalities and by-elections to vacant seats in other local bodies across Gujarat. The schedule was announced on September 16, bringing the model code of conduct into force.

What’s Next

• Polling ends: 6 pm today
• Repoll (if needed): Monday
• Counting: October 13

The Bottom Line

With a third of voters done by midday and a visible gender gap, the final turnout and the October 13 results will show whether Gandhinagar sticks with its 2021 verdict.

With inputs from IANS.