Gujarat Assembly elections: Second phase of polling begins

Ahmedabad, December 5, 2022

Voting began this morning in 93 constituencies in the second and final phase of polling in the elections to the 182-member Gujarat Legislative Assembly.

More than 2.51 crore voters, including 1.22 crore women, are eligible to vote in the 93 constituencies and a total of 833 candidates, including 69 women, are in the fray.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has set up 26,409 polling stations and made elaborate security and other arrangements to ensure a free and fair poll. Of them, 2,904 polling centres are in urban areas and 12,071 in rural areas. At least 1,13,325 election staff will be on duty.

Voting started at 8 a.m. on Monday and will end at 5 p.m.

Prominent candidates involved in today's exercise include Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and seven Ministers, other BJP leaders such as Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor and Congress leader Jignesh Mevani.

The 93 constituencies involved in today's polling are spread over 14 districts in Central and North Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Vadodara.

Districts such as Anand, Sabarkantha, Banaskantha and Mehsana and the tribal-dominated districts of Panchmahals and Chota Udepur will also vote today.

The 93 seats include 74 general seats, six Scheduled Castes and 13 Scheduled Tribes.

The first phase of polling, held on December 1, had seen more than 63.31 per cent of the 2.39 crore voters turning out to exercise their franchise for 89 seats in the Assembly.

The 89 seats involved in the first phase of polling were spread over 19 districts in Saurashtra, Kutch and South Gujarat.

Counting of votes for both phases of polling will be held on December 8, along with the votes cast in the single-phase election to the Himachal Pradesh Assembly held on November 12.

The five-year term of the current Gujarat Assembly, which was constituted on February 19, 2018, will end on February 18, 2023.

NNN