'Unwell' L K Advani casts vote in Ahmedabad, says,'he never missed voting since 1952'

New Delhi, Apr 23: Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani cast his vote at a polling booth in Shahpur Hindi School here on Tuesday.

Despite being unwell, Advani turned up to cast his vote today. According to reports, he was running a temperature of 102 degree Farheniet. However, his party had asked him to take rest, but he refused saying that he had never missed voting since 1952.

Advani, who is sitting MP from Gandhinagar, has been replaced by BJP president Amit Shah. The veteran BJP leader has won from the seat six times.

Advani and senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi are among those who have not been fielded by the party for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Advani on April 4 wrote a blog in which he said, "Right from its inception, the BJP has never regarded those who disagree with us politically as our 'enemies', but only as our adversaries. Similarly, in our conception of Indian nationalism, we have never regarded those who disagree with us politically as 'anti-national'."

"The party has been committed to freedom of choice of every citizen at personal as well as political level," the BJP stalwart had said in his recent blog titled 'Nation First, Party Next, Self Last'.

The statements were seen as a veiled dig at the current leadership of the BJP.

The third phase of Lok Sabha elections are underway at 116 parliamentary constituencies across 13 states and two Union Territories.

In Gujarat, 371 candidates are in the fray for 26 Lok Sabha seats, while 45 candidates are in the fray for by-poll in four Assembly seats.

Counting of votes will take place on May 23.