The counting of votes for 3,895 general and by-elections to Gram Panchayats across Gujarat, held on June 22, began on Wednesday after ballot boxes were opened at 9 am. These elections, which also included midterm and bifurcation polls, were overseen by the State Election Commission.&nbsp;
Infrastructure for the count included 239 centres and 1,080 halls, housing 2,771 tables where 13,444 officials handled ballots. An additional 3,431 Class-IV workers were deployed, supported by a security contingent of 14,231 police officers.
Three polling stations conducted re-voting on June 24 from 7 am to 6 pm after irregularities were detected during the main polling day. These issues ranged from errors in printed symbols on ballots to incidents involving ballot papers being taken from officials, as well as confusion among voters. The re-polling booths recorded an average voter participation rate of 71.5%.
With the results from Kadi and Visavadar elections already declared, public focus moved to the outcome of the Gram Panchayat polls. Altogether, 4,564 village councils were included in the process, with 751 declared uncontested prior to polling day. Increased administrative authority granted to Sarpanchs has attracted more contenders, making the races particularly competitive.
In Bhavnagar district, women emerged victorious in both Devliya and Jivapur village panchayats. Harsha Parmar secured Devliya with a lead of 306 votes, while Daya Parmar won Jivapur by a margin of 381 votes. In Junagadh, Narsing Kher was declared elected from Juna Kotda village in Mangrol.
In Khambhat, part of Anand district, the Sarpanch position for Popatpura Gram Panchayat went to Hira Vanakar. Rajkot district recorded several early wins, with Satyajitsinh Jadeja claiming Ward-8 of Ribda village in Gondal taluka.&nbsp;
In Veja Gram Panchayat, a bypoll saw Bharat Makwana prevail over his elder brother. Additional Rajkot victories included Purshottam Ghoniya from Ward-4 of Bandra Gram Panchayat, and Varshaben Bhadani from Ward-7 in Sultanpur village.
In Jamnagar district, the winners included Vimal Nakhvani in Suvarda Gram Panchayat and Divyesh Sabhaya in Hadmatiya (Matva). Amreli district saw Jamiyat Jadeja win the Sarpanch post in Daldi village by 16 votes. Ravi Mayapadar triumphed in Ishwariya village with a lead of 150 votes, while Valku Dadu Bhai Mobh received 565 votes to win in Pipalwa of Khamba taluka.
Across Amreli district, ballots were counted at 10 separate taluka centres. The tally included results for 77 Sarpanch posts and 12 bypolls, covering 2,012 member seats. In total, 1,216 candidates were in the fray. Each taluka operated five tables, with three staff members managing the count at each.
Statewide, counting progressed with visible excitement among participants and their supporters. Law enforcement maintained strict vigilance at every site, aided by round-the-clock CCTV coverage, to prevent disruptions and ensure procedural integrity.
Out of approximately 81 lakh registered voters, 58.56 lakh cast their ballots, equating to a 78.20% turnout across general and midterm categories. The electorate comprised 30,48,434 men and 28,06,561 women. Dang district posted the highest turnout at 89.54%, while Porbandar recorded the lowest at 66.77%. Re-polling was also conducted at Narsinghpura in Padra taluka of Vadodara, along with two additional locations.
Altogether, 3,656 Sarpanchs and 16,224 Gram Panchayat members were elected. Over 8,000 individuals competed for the Sarpanch positions, while more than 70,000 contested for member roles. Despite panchayat elections being non-partisan by law, several candidates were known to have received indirect backing from political parties, which are closely watching the results. Compared to earlier years, the count of consensus-based (samras) panchayats has decreased significantly.
The bolstered powers granted to Sarpanchs, along with complex local and caste factors, contributed to highly contested elections. In nearly 2,000 cases, no candidates submitted nominations. Due to the by-elections in Kadi and Visavadar, Gram Panchayat elections were not held in Kadi, Jotana, Visavadar, and Junagadh regions.
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Vote counting process continues across Gujarat villages with over 58 lakh ballots cast.

Vote Counting Underway in Gujarat Panchayat Polls

Vote counting process continues across Gujarat villages with over 58 lakh ballots cast.

June 25, 2025 | 13:01 IST