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Gujarat polls: 87 seats go to polls in first phase today

The voting will start at 21,261 polling booths at 8 am and culminate at 5 pm. Out of total 1.81 crore voters, 95.7 lakh are male voters, while 86.02 lakh are female voters.

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The big day is here. Gujarat is set for the first phase of elections on Thursday. Eighty-seven seats out of a total 182 in the state assembly will go to polls on Thursday, where 1.81 crore voters will decide the fate of 846 candidates, including 46 women.

The voting will start at 21,261 polling booths at 8 am and culminate at 5 pm. Out of total 1.81 crore voters, 95.7 lakh are male voters, while 86.02 lakh are female voters.

Saurashtra, which could decide the outcome of the elections, as well as the fate of chief minister Narendra Modi, goes to the Hustings in the first phase on Thursday.

The 48 seats in Amreli, Bhavnagar, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Porbandar and Junagadh are very crucial and could be decisive as this is where Keshubhai Patel is hoping to inflict maximum damage on chief minister Narendra Modi’s re-election prospects.

A number of pre-poll surveys have predicted a hat-trick of victories for chief minister Narendra Modi, with most of them giving two-thirds majority or more to the BJP. However, all may not be lost for the Congress, as such surveys have proven to be way-off the final result in the past.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission said that all preparations have been completed for free and fair conduct of first phase of elections.

“The polling staffs have already reached polling booths with EVMs and other election-related materials. Adequate security arrangements have been made at all polling stations for free and fair elections,” state’s chief electoral officer, Anita Karwal, said.

Apart from the 48 seats in Saurashtra, 35 assembly constituencies in south and south central Gujarat, and four seats in Ahmedabad district that go to the polls on Thursday.

A total of 846 candidates are in fray for the first phase of polls. The BJP has fielded candidates on all 87 seats, while Congress has nominated candidates on 84 constituencies. The Keshubhai Patel-led Gujarat Parivartan Party is contesting on 83 seats. In addition, candidates of as many as 28 political parties and 383 independent candidates are also in the fray.

Former chief minister Keshubhai Patel, finance minister Vaju Vala, civil supplies minister Narottam Patel, leader of opposition Shaktisinh Gohil, Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhwadia and Gujarat BJP president RC Faldu are among the candidates contesting in the first phase of elections.

Other prominent candidates in Phase-I include Speaker Ganpat Vasava, cabinet ministers Dileep Sanghani and Mangu Patel, and ministers of state Parshottam Solanki, Vasuben Trivedi, Kiritsinh Rana, Kanu Bhalala, Mohan Kundaria and Ranjit Gilitwala.

Three Congress MPs Kunvarji Bavalia, Vitthal Radadia and Soma Patel, are also contesting in the first phase from Botad, Dhoraji and Limbdi constituencies respectively. BJP rebel and sitting MLA Kanu Kalsaria is also among the candidates whose fate will be decided on Thursday.

Voting for the remaining 95 seats in the second phase will take place on December 17, while counting of votes will take place on December 20.

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