A record 68% of the 1.82 crore voters in Saurashtra, south Gujarat and parts of Ahmedabad voted in the first phase of the Gujarat assembly elections.
The turnout was unprecedented in the state where even in 2002, with the post-Godhra riots still fresh in public memory, the overall voting had barely crossed 60%.
The fate of 846 candidates, 46 of them women, will be decided in the first phase. The BJP has fielded candidates in all 87 seats, the Congress in 84, Gujarat Parivartan Party in 83 and the BSP in 79.
Addressing a meeting, CM Narendra Modi claimed that the BJP would sweep the polls. Traditionally, the party has scored big wins whenever the polling has been high. Pundits say while high turnout in urban areas gives the BJP the edge, the scenario could reverse in rural areas, especially in Saurashtra, where Keshubhai Patel’s Gujarat Parivartan Party has become the third force.
In fact, long queues were seen in Patel-dominated areas of Saurashtra. Patel villages like Kotharia and Khokhadad had clocked over 65% voting by 3 pm. Tribal voters in districts like Navsari, Valsad, Tapi and Dang in south Gujarat also came out in large numbers.
The polling began at 8am amid tight security. For the first three hours, the turnout was just 18%, but the numbers shot up significantly during the afternoon.
Keshubhai factor at work?
Record polling during the first phase has left poll pundits wondering about the trigger that led to such a high turnout. Many believe that the presence of Keshubhai Patel’s Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) fired up both the BJP and the Congress in going all out to mobilize voters.
Muslims, too, have voted heavily across Saurashtra and south Gujarat.
No comments:
Post a Comment