Ahmedabad, March 10 The Gujarat Congress announced on Tuesday that it will begin a 10-day candidate selection process starting March 11 for the upcoming local body elections in the BJP-ruled state.
Meetings will be held across all municipal corporations, cities, talukas, and districts of Gujarat, where prospective candidates will have the opportunity to present their views and interact with party representatives, the opposition outfit stated.
"The candidate selection process for the upcoming local body elections will take place across various districts and talukas between March 11 and March 20," said Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Chavda in Ahmedabad.
During the meetings, candidates will be directly heard, and the process of forming the selection panel for the elections will also be undertaken, he stated.
Seats have also been reserved for women and members of SC/ST communities in the candidature process, the Congress leader maintained.
The party has also launched an online application system to make the process more accessible. A QR code has been released, allowing interested individuals to scan and fill out a candidacy form for contesting elections in 15 municipal corporations across the state.
Chavda alleged that many local self-government institutions currently ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have become "centres of corruption".
The GPCC president claimed that poor infrastructure has resulted in issues such as roads being washed away during the first rains and water tanks collapsing even during testing, leading to what it described as misuse of taxpayers' money.
He said the Congress has invited members of the public, leaders, and social activists across Gujarat to join the party and participate in the political process, stating that it aims to provide a platform to "fight corruption and ensure justice for ordinary citizens".
Chavda confirmed that, as previously decided, 50 per cent of the tickets in local body elections will be given to candidates below the age of 50 to encourage youth participation.
Educated and honest individuals who are actively engaged with people will be encouraged and given opportunities to contest, he added.
The schedule for local body elections has not yet been announced, but they are likely to be held in the first half of 2026. Elections are to be held for 1,044 seats in 15 municipal corporations, around 1,084 in 34 district panchayats, 5,214 in 262 taluka panchayats and 2,596 seats in 83 municipalities.
These elections will cover about 10,000 seats spread across 15 municipal corporations, 34 district panchayats, 262 taluka panchayats and 83 municipalities in Gujarat, encompassing 95 per cent of the state's area.
The terms of the municipal corporations of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Jamnagar, and Bhavnagar have come to an end.
Notably, Gujarat this year has announced the creation of nine new municipal corporations: Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, Porbandar, and Surendranagar.