Gujarat Municipal and Panchayat Elections Pass Off Peacefully; Horse-Trading Looms If No Party Secures Majority

Rajkot, Dec 7: Polling for municipal and panchayat elections in the state passed off peacefully yesterday. Average voter turnout in urban areas was low and average was high in rural areas. Open counting will begin from tomorrow. Open counting will begin in any municipality or municipal corporation or taluka-zilla panchayat. If the BJP-Congress, Aam Aadmi Party or any other party does not get a clear majority, then the game of horse-trading will start. The term'horse-trading'is popular in politics for this activity. To gain power in any municipality-panchayat, at least one seat is needed in addition to half the total number of seats. For example, if there are 36 seats, then at least 19 seats are needed to capture power. Such a situation is considered a simple majority. Sometimes the game of breaking and joining the support of missing members starts. In this, mainly money is given.