Gujarat poll begins

Ahmedabad: As Gujarat started voting in the first phase of elections today, a number of Electronic Voting Machines were reported to be  malfunctioning in Surat, dominated by small traders and the Patidar community. Around 13.38 per cent voting took place in Kutch, Saurashtra and south Gujarat till 10 am, where a contest is on for 89 of the State’s 182 constituencies. The last phase of canvassing has seen a bitter and personal campaign between the Congress and the BJP. For the last two days, suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s “neech” slur against Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dominated the campaign. “There are 24,000 polling booths in Gujarat, the EVM problem has occurred only in 7 or 8 booths,” Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti said. “We have a number of EVMs in reserve,” he said. PM Modi has led the party’s campaign, pitching the Gujarat election as a contest between “vikaswaad (development) and vanshwaad (dynasty) in an attack on Rahul Gandhi, who faced no opposition in the party’s internal elections. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Indranil Rajyaguru, the richest man in the state assembly, from Saurashtra’s Rajkot-West seat, is the most-watched today. “We are very confident, no question of any challenge,” Rupani said after casting his vote early this morning. The ruling BJP holds 67 and the Congress holds 16 of the 89 seats where polling is being held. The others are held by smaller parties and Independents. Saurashtra and Kutch have the maximum number of constituencies are seen as crucial. The party that wins the most seats in these regions will be seen to have a head start. The second phase of voting in the rest of the state will be held on Dec.14, The  results will be declared on  December 18.