The gram panchayat elections in the state recorded a voter turnout of around 72% on Sunday, according to the Gujarat State Election Commission (SEC), with voting held for Sarpanch and ward member posts in 3,894 gram panchayats.According to the SEC, barring some scattered incidents, the voting overall remained peaceful across the state. Two persons were killed and 13 injured in an accident in Mahisagar district while they were on their way to Jhalod to cast their vote in the gram panchayat elections.Counting of votes will take place on June 25.The Commission will conduct repolling at two booths in Dahod and Sabarkantha districts. According to the SEC release, a mob had allegedly taken away ballot papers from the presiding officer in Moti Handi village of Jhalod taluka in Dahod district. In Zinzva village of Sabarkantha district’s Prantij taluka, a mistake was reported in printing a symbol in a ballot paper. In the concerned polling booths of the two villages, repolling has been ordered on June 24.Violence was reported in Booth Number 2 of Ghamankhobra primary school in Dahod’s Moti Handi village, where two local groups allegedly clashed during the voting on Sunday afternoon, leading to vandalism. Following the clash, the election officers presiding over the booth suspended the polls. Later, based on Jhalod Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s instructions, the polling process was called off and a repolling was ordered after it was alleged that some ballots were missing. Dahod district Superintendent of Police Dr Rajdeepsinh Zala told this newspaper, “There were three candidates in the fray in this particular village. Agents of two candidates got into a brawl, which soon turned into a clash and all three candidates and their supporters were involved in the fight along with stone pelting… In the chaos, three slip books, containing almost 51 ballot slips, went missing from the table, leading to the suspension of polling as these votes can be misused.An FIR is underway at Limdi police station for rioting and five persons have been detained (Express)An FIR is underway at Limdi police station for rioting and five persons have been detained.Zala added that compared to the previous gram panchayat polls, which had seen 37 offences, on Sunday, only one incident was reported from the district.In a separate incident, two persons were killed and 13 injured in an accident involving a trailer truck and a jeep, near the Santrampur bypass in Mahisagar district while they were on their way from Ahmedabad to cast their vote in Jhalod taluka’s Dadgad village. In Chhota Udepur district, Padaliya village under the Aambla group panchayat boycotted the polls in protest. The villagers put up banners, stating that their request of having a separate gram panchayat had not been considered. The banner stated, “We have been seeking a separate gram panchayat for the village and until the time our demand is not met and a separate gram panchayat created, we will continue to boycott polls.”Story continues below this adThese are the first gram panchayat elections in Gujarat after the state government announced 27% OBC reservation in it as per Kalpesh Jhaveri Commission’s recommendations.Last month, the SEC had declared elections to 4,564 gram panchayats, out of which, 751 have become ‘Samras’ or won uncontested, where all the ward members and Sarpanch have been elected unopposed.These gram panchayats were those which were either headed for general elections or midterm elections, or which came into existence after divisions of other gram panchayats.Samras Gram Panchayat is a scheme of the state government under which villagers choose their ward members and sarpanch with consensus and do not go to polls. Those villages which become Samras get special benefits from the state government.Story continues below this adOut of the remaining 3813 gram panchayats, in 271 gram pachayats, the elections have not been held. This is because while some wards have gone Samras, others did not witness any candidature. Finally, Overall, general or mid-term elections are being held in 3,541 gram panchayats.The SEC also held by-elections in 353 gram panchayats across the state.In all, on Sunday, voting for 3,656 posts of village Sarpanch and 16,224 ward members was held. Total 10,479 polling booths witnessed the polling; 3,939 of them were marked as sensitive and 336 as very sensitive. Voting on three wards of three gram panchayats in Narmada, PAnchmahal and Chhota Udepur districts was cancelled following the death of three candidates.Elections for gram panchayats are not fought on party symbols and voting for the same is being done through ballot papers and not electronic voting machines.(With inputs from ENS, Vadodara)