Ahmedabad: Voting for second phase of local body elections in Gujarat will be held today amid tight security.
Polling in 31 district panchayats, 230 taluka panchayats and 56 municipalities will start at 8 am. The counting of votes will be held on December 2.
Gujarat State Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of polls, secretary Mahesh Joshi said.
State Election Commissioner Varesh Sinha appealed the people to come out to vote in large numbers without any fear.
The polls are considered to be a litmus test for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Chief Minister Anandiben Patel who led her party's campaign by addressing rallies and roadshows in various parts of the state.
Congress is hoping to get support of the Patel community which is enraged over the arrest of quota agitation leader Hardik Patel and his associates on sedition charges.
During the campaign, the chief minister and other BJP leaders faced the wrath of the Patel community. In Mehsana and Viramgam, Patel community members, including a large number of women, staged protests over alleged police atrocities.
