Ahmedabad, Jun 21 (PTI) Elections will be held on Sunday for more than 3,894 gram panchayats across Gujarat to elect sarpanchs and panchayat members in the first such exercise after the state government announced 27 per cent OBC reservation in local bodies polls in 2023.

The State Election Commission (SEC) said 81 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise.

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Polling will be held between 7 am and 6 pm using ballot papers at 10,479 stations to elect 3,656 sarpanchs and 16,224 panchayat members. Votes will be counted on June 25.

The SEC has identified 3,939 polling stations as sensitive and 336 as highly sensitive.

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Of 8,326 gram panchayats for which elections were declared on May 25, general and mid-term polls will be held for 3,541 gram panchayats. 1,023 GPs have been declared uncontested or vacant with no candidate filing their nomination, the SEC said, adding that bypolls will be held in 353 gram pahnchayats as 3,524 GPs have been declared uncontested.

The SEC said gram panchayat elections in six talukas under Kadi and Visavadar assembly seats have been cancelled due to by-elections held there on Thursday.

Elections to the lowest level of local government administration are usually not contested on a party basis. Candidates do not fight on party tickets, though they may be affiliated with political parties.

This is the first time that Gram Panchayat elections will be held on a big scale in Gujarat after the state government in August 2023 announced a 27 per cent reservation to OBCs in panchayats, municipalities and civic corporations on recommendations of the Zaveri Commission's report.

Earlier, OBC reservation in local bodies was capped at 10 per cent.

After the Supreme Court ruled that the OBC reservation should be proportionate to their population, the state government in July 2022 set up the KS Jhaveri Commission under the retired judge of the Gujarat High Court to gather and analyse data on the nature and implications of backwardness in local bodies.

The existing quota for Scheduled Castes (14 per cent) and Scheduled Tribes (7 per cent) in local bodies remained unchanged and there has been no breach of the 50 per cent reservation ceiling.

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