Gujarat Election 2022 Live: The highly-anticipated two-phase Gujarat Elections 2022 kicked off on Thursday. A total of 89 constituencies are going to polls in the first phase while the rest of the 93 seats will be up for grabs on December 5.
As many as 1,621 candidates are in the fray for the Gujarat polls. While 788 candidates, including 339 independents, are contesting the assembly seats in the first phase, 833 candidates, including 285 independents, will be participating in the second phase.
According to the latest available data, around 4.9 crore voters, including 11.6 lakh first-time voters, have been found eligible to cast their ballot. Around 2.53 crore men and 2.37 crore women are eligible to choose their representative to the Gujarat Assembly this year.
In the first phase, 2,39,76,670 voters will cast their ballots.
While Ahmedabad district has the highest number of voters (59.9 lakh), Dangs has the lowest (1.93 lakh).
As many as 25,430 polling booths have been put in place. Of these, 16,416 are in rural constituencies and 9,014 are in urban areas. The task of conducting free and fair polls has fallen on the shoulders of 1,06,963 personnel. This number includes 27,978 presiding officers and 79,985 polling staffers.
The model code of conduct for phase 1 of the Gujarat elections kicked in on Tuesday.
The run up to the polling was marked by fiery speeches and barbs from leaders of the major political parties. The election is expected to be a three-corner contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress which was the second-largest party in the 2017 polls, and debutante Aam Admi Party.
The BJP has decided to go retain Bhupendra Patel as its chief ministerial candidate and the AAP has decided that Isudan Gadhvi would be the CM if the party won the polls. The Congress has decided not to name a CM face.
