Lok Sabha Elections: Gujarat govt declares public holiday on May 7

The Gujarat government has declared May 7, when voting will take place for all 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state and five Assembly bypolls, as a public holiday, an official said on Monday.

A notification on this was issued by the state General Administration Department (GAD), he added.

The notification stated that individuals employed in an industrial facility or an organization located beyond the constituency where they are registered to vote will be granted a "compensated leave" on May 7, in accordance with section 135(b)(1) of the Representation of the People Act, to enable them to cast their vote.


The five Assembly seats where bypolls will be held are Vijapur, Khambhat, Vaghodia, Manavadar and Porbandar.

The Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat, P Bharathi, is extending a unique invitation to voters, particularly women, to participate in the upcoming grand festival of democracy.

Over 20.3 lakh invitation cards will be dispatched to encourage an increased turnout of women voters at 13,000 polling stations across the state.

In the spirit of India's unity in diversity and its tradition of inviting others to celebrate occasions, P Bharathi is sending out these invitations to voters, urging them to cast their votes with their families, the information department Gujarat stated.

The aim is to enhance the participation of women voters at more than 13,000 polling stations where the difference in voter turnout between men and women is more than 10 per cent, and where the overall voter turnout is less than 50 per cent compared to the previous Legislative Assembly elections.