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Gujarat polls: Voting for phase 1 today; CM Patel among 788 candidates in fray
Campaigning for the first phase of the elections in the BJP-ruled state ended at 5pm on Tuesday. Voting will be held between 8am and 5pm across 14,382 polling stations.
The stage is set for the Gujarat assembly election as the polling for the first phase will be held today on 89 seats spread across 19 districts in Saurashtra-Kutch and southern parts of the state where 788 candidates are in the fray. Gujarat will witness a three-way contest this time, among the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress in opposition, as well as the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party.
Campaigning for the first phase of the elections in the BJP-ruled state ended at 5pm on Tuesday. Voting will be held between 8am and 5pm across 14,382 polling stations.
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Top points on the Gujarat assembly election:
1) Apart from the BJP, Congress and AAP, 36 other political outfits, including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), have also fielded candidates from various seats for the first phase.
2) Out of the 89 seats going to polls in the first phase, the BJP won 48 in the 2017 election, the Congress had won 40, while one seat was bagged by an independent candidate.
3) The BJP and Congress are contesting in all 89 seats. The AAP is contesting in 88 seats. Its candidate from Surat East constituency had withdrawn his candidature, leaving the party with one less seat to contest in the first phase.
4) Among prominent candidates, Gujarat chief minster Bhupendra Patel is contesting from Ghatlodia, AAP chief ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi from Khambhaliya, former Congress leader and BJP candidate Hardik Patel from Viramgam, former Congress leader and now BJP candidate Alpesh Thakor from Gandhinagar South.
5) A total of 2,39,76,670 voters, including 1,24,33,362 males, 1,1,5,42,811 females and 497 from the third gender are eligible to vote in the first phase of Gujarat polls.
6) The second phase of voting will be held on December 5. The counting of votes will be done on December 8.
