Civic polls face heat test today, 1,308 candidates in fray

Surat: The electoral fate of 1,308 candidates across Surat city and district will be sealed on Sunday as polling for local body elections—including the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), four municipalities, the district panchayat and taluka panchayats—is conducted.A total of 483 candidates are contesting across 30 wards of the SMC. In the four municipalities of Tarsadi, Bardoli, Mandvi and Kadodara, 224 candidates are in the fray. Additionally, 88 candidates will contest district panchayat seats, while 513 candidates will compete for seats in 11 taluka panchayats.Counting of votes for the SMC elections will be held at Dr S and S S Ghandhy Government Engineering College, while counting for other local bodies in the district will take place at separate locations.District collector Dr Sourabh Pardhi said 24.76 lakh voters are eligible to vote in the SMC area, including 13 lakh men and 11.73 lakh women. In the four municipalities, 92,398 voters are registered, including 47,502 men, 44,891 women and five others.For the district panchayat elections, 8.67 lakh voters are eligible, comprising 4.34 lakh men, 4.32 lakh women and six others. In the 11 taluka panchayats, around 9 lakh voters can cast their ballots, including 4.48 lakh men, 4.49 lakh women and six others.Within the SMC limits, 2,610 polling booths have been set up at 946 locations. For the municipal corporation elections, 6,020 ballot units and 3,070 control units of electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used, including reserve units. At the municipality level, 136 ballot units and 129 control units will be deployed. For district panchayat polling stations and reserves, 2,750 ballot units and 2,750 control units will be used, while taluka panchayat elections will use 1,912 ballot units and 1,912 control units.A total of 20,367 officers and employees have been deployed on election duty. Of these, 13,385 personnel will manage polling for the municipal corporation, 533 for municipalities and 6,449 for district and taluka panchayats.Officials said voter slips have already been distributed to 24.78 lakh voters in the municipal corporation area. However, these slips cannot be used as proof of identity for voting.Among the 36 seats of the district panchayat, four have already been elected unopposed, leaving 32 seats for polling. In municipalities, 16 seats have been declared unopposed, while 21 seats in taluka panchayats have also been won without contest.Police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut said elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful polling. Sensitive areas will be monitored closely by 50 teams of crime branch and SOG.
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