1st phase of Guj Polls: Security tightened
Ahmedabad,
Dec
10:
Elaborate
security
arrangements
have
been
made
for
the
first
phase
of
Assembly
polls
in
Gujarat
to
be
held
on
Tuesday.
Around 50, 000 central paramilitary forces have been deployed at all polling booths to ensure free and fair polling.
Apart from this, the Election Commission has also prohibited the use of mobile phones inside polling booths.
As many as 1.79 crores voters will decide the fate of 668 candidates, including 53 female candidates, who are in the fray.
During the first phase, the Chorasi, Assembly Constituency is the largest with 1, 593, 907 voters, while Manavadar is the smallest with 125, 902 voters.
Out of the 182 Assembly seats in the State, 87 will go to polls in the first phase.
Some of the key ministers of the Narendra Modi Government who are contesting election during this phase are Finance Minister Biju Bhai Vala (Rajkot II), Water Resources Minister Narottam Patel (Chaurasy) and Urban Development Minister I K Jadeja.
The Congress party has fielded 82 candidates for the first phase.
During
first
phase,
the
Bahujan
Samaj
Party
(BSP)
is
contesting
elections
on
78
Assembly
Constituencies,
while
the
Nationalist
Congress
Party
(NCP)
is
contesting
on
4.
The
Congress
party
has
fielded,
Union
Minister
of
State
for
Petroleum
and
Natural
Gas,
Dinsha
J.
Patel
against
Modi
in
the
Patel-dominated
Maninagar
Assembly
Constituency
that
will
go
for
polling
on
December
16.
The second phase of polling for 95 seats will take place on December 16.
The counting of votes will take place on December 23.
Over
36
million
voters
will
decide
the
fate
of
1268
candidates
for
the
182-member
Assembly
in
Gujarat.
The
term
of
the
State's
Legislative
Assembly
is
due
to
expire
on
December
26.
The
BJP
managed
to
win
127
seats,
while
the
Congress
party
was
able
to
win
only
51
seats
in
the
2002
Gujarat
Assembly
polls.
The
Janata
Dal
(United)
and
independents
won
two
seats
each.
ANI
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