Voting for the second and final phase of the assembly polls that will also decide Chief Minister Narendra Modi”s electoral fate is presently underway in Gujarat.
About 1.98 crore voters will decide the fate of 820 candidates in this phase
The voting, which is taking place for 95 constituencies in this phase, began at 8 a.m. today.
The polling, which will take place in 40 constituencies in five districts of central Gujarat, 32 in five districts of north Gujarat, 17 in Ahmedabad city area and six in Kutch district, will come to an end at 5 p.m.
The Election Commission has made elaborate security arrangements to ensure free and fair polling in this phase. It has appointed to 7,256 micro-observers for the purpose.
Senior police officials from other states have also been deployed as police observers in all sensitive districts.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded its candidates for all the 95 seats in this phase. The Congress is contesting on 92 seats, while the Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) of Keshubhai Patel has fielded its candidates for 84 seats.
This phase of polling will also decide the fate of 15 ministers and also former chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela of the Congress.
The fate of wife of suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, Shweta Bhatt, will also be decided in this phase. Congress candidate Shweta Bhatt is contest the elections against the Gujarat Chief Minister from his constituency Maninagar in Ahmedabad.
Maninagar is a Modi stronghold and he has held this seat since 2002. Modi, who is looking at a third consecutive term at the helm in Gujarat, defeated the Congress candidate by around 75,000 votes in 2007.
The counting of votes in Gujarat will take place on December 20. (ANI)