Tribal districts of the state recorded over 70 per cent polling in the the first phase of elections on Saturday, as per latest reports.
The seven tribal districts account for 14 of the 89 constituencies that went to polls in the first phase. Of the 14, six are with the BJP , seven are with the Congress and one is with the JD (U). It should be noted that before elections, a lot of analysts said that the BJP was making all efforts to woo the tribals in the state. The tribals have traditionally sided with the Congress. The tribal seats to keep an eye on is Mangro from where BJP's Ganpat Vasava is contesting as well as Mahuva from were Tushar Chaudhary is contesting.
Though the figure may seem impressive, it is less than what these districts polled in the last elections. Five of the seven districts had less voting when compared to 2012.
Some places in the tribal districts reported problems with the EVM machines during the early hours of polling but they were resolved.
A local from Nandod constituency in Narmada district said the polling was smooth although it was 2-3 per cent lesser than the earlier polls.
"It is because of the marriage season. Several people were busy with weddings and could not poll. The district usually sees over 80 per cent votes," said the local.
It should be noted that Nandod and Dediapada had seen 78 per cent and 89 per cent voting in the 2012 elections.
Tushar Chaudhary, the Congress candidate from Mahuva (ST), who voted in the early morning, said the area has a lot of problems but the tribals are particularly worried about non-tribals taking over the land. "A lot of non tribals have managed to get certificates stating that they are tribals. This has caused a lot of resentment among the tribal population in the state," said Chaudhary.
Barolia village in Dharampur constituency saw a record voting this year according to sources. Apparently the village had also seen very heavy voting even during the 2012 elections.
In Navsari district , Vansda constituency saw over 80 per cent of voting, the highest in the district. In Telada village of Jalapore constituency in Navsari, a complaint about EVM being detected on mobile phones was made. The local Congress IT cell of the district also filed a complaint with the district collector in the matter.
DHARAMPUR SEES VOTING TILL 6.30 PM
Barolia village which falls in Dharampur constituency of Valsad taluka saw voting go on till 6.30 pm. The area witnessed heavy voting in the morning with no turnout in the afternoon. A lot of the voters then turned up in the evening before the 5 pm deadline.
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