Gujarat govt declares May 7 voting day as public holiday

Ahmedabad: 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.

People working in an industrial unit or an establishment situated outside a constituency where they are registered as a voter will be entitled to get a "paid holiday" on May 7 as per section 135(b)(1) of the Representation of the People Act so that they can exercise their franchise, the notification said.

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