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regular-article-logo Thursday, 25 April 2024

Phase-2 of Gujarat Assembly polls: 34.74 per cent voter turnout till 1 pm

The electoral fate of CM Bhupendra Patel and 832 other candidates including 285 independents will be decided in the second phase

PTI Ahmedabad Published 05.12.22, 02:44 PM
Voters wait in a queue to cast their votes during the second and final phase of Gujarat Assembly elections, in Ahmedabad.

Voters wait in a queue to cast their votes during the second and final phase of Gujarat Assembly elections, in Ahmedabad. PTI picture

An average 34.74 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm on Monday in the second phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections covering 93 seats across 14 districts of north and central regions, the Election Commission said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Aam Aadmi Party's chief ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Sukhram Rathva were among those who cast votes.

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Voting began at 8 am across 14,975 polling stations.

The electoral fate of CM Bhupendra Patel and 832 other candidates including 285 independents will be decided in the second phase.

Till 1 pm, Sabarkantha district recorded the highest turnout ay 39.73 per cent, followed by Chhota Udepur 38.18 per cent.

In Ahmedabad district, the voter turnout till 1 pm stood at 30.82 per cent. In Vadodara, it was 34.07 per cent, as per an update shared by the Election Commission.

The poll body said in the first three hours, 41 ballot units, 40 control units and 109 voter verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs) were replaced due to malfunctioning.

Prime Minister Modi exercised his democratic right at a polling station at Nishan High School in Ahmedabad city's Ranip area in the morning.

His centenarian mother Hiraba also cast her vote at a polling station in Gandhinagar district.

Union minister Shah cast his vote at a municipal centre in Naranpura locality of Ahmedabad city.

Isudan Gadhvi voted at a booth in Ghuma locality here. He is the AAP candidate from Khambhalia seat in Devbhumi Dwarka district where polling was held in the first phase on December 1.

Apart from CM Bhupendra Patel, BJP leaders Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor, and Congress leader Jignesh Mevani are among those in the fray in the second phase of polls.

The BJP and the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP are contesting in all the 93 seats. The Congress is contesting in 90 seats and its alliance partner Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has fielded two candidates.

Among other parties, the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) has fielded 12 candidates and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) 44. Voting is underway in the 93 seats spread across 14 districts including Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Gandhinagar.

In the 2017 Assembly polls, the ruling BJP won 51 of these seats, Congress 39, while three seats went to independent candidates.

In central Gujarat, the BJP had bagged 37 seats, outnumbering the Congress which got 22. But in north Gujarat, the Congress had won 17 seats while the saffron party got 14.

The Gujarat Assembly has a total of 182 seats.

Voting in 89 seats was held on December 1.

The counting of votes in all the seats will be taken up on December 8.

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