Bypolls held for 30 seats in 19 civic bodies, SMC ward 20 sees turnout of just 24%

The counting for votes would be conducted on Tuesday, the State Election Commission stated.

Of the 24.17 per cent voting turnout recorded for the Surat Municipal Corporation’s Ward 20,  27.24 per cent were male voters against 20.91 per cent female voters.

A total of 24 candidates among whom 18 are independent have contested for the single seat in Ward 20 of the SMC. Apart from the BJP, Congress, and the AAP, Mayawati’s BSP, Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, and the NCP have also fielded their candidates.

The seat got vacated after the death of BJP councilor Jayesh Zariwala last year in May.

The seat covers Khatodara, Majura, and Sagrampura areas.

The municipalities that held bypolls are spread in the districts of Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Banaskantha, Narmada, Surendranagar, Ahmedabad, Aravalli, Anand, Porbandar, Patan, Mehsana, Kheda, Kutch, Gir Somnath, and Panchmahal. Among these, Ward 2 of Unjha nagarpalika in the Mehsana district recorded the highest voting percentage at 75.11 per cent with 75.44 per cent male voters and 74.78 per cent female voters registering their votes. Among the municipalities, the lowest voter turnout was recorded in Porbandar-Chhaya nagarpalika of Porbandar district where only 31.57 per cent of total voters stepped out to cast their votes.