As many as 3,894 gram panchayats went to the polls in Gujarat on Sunday (June 22, 2025) in the first such exercise after the state government announced 27 per cent reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the local bodies elections in 2023.
The State Election Commission (SEC) said 81 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to elect 3,656 sarpanchs and 16,224 panchayat members.
People queued up in large numbers in rural Gujarat to cast their votes using ballot papers across 10,479 polling stations.
Polling has been largely peaceful, with a few incidents of violence, and people turned up to vote despite the rains in parts of the state.
In a village in Banaskantha district, a 95-year-old woman arrived to exercise her franchise with her grandson amid heavy rains.
