JOIN USCampaigning ends for second phase of Gujarat Assembly polls, voting on December 5
The campaigning for the second phase of elections in 93 Assembly constituencies ended on Saturday evening, polling for which will be held on December 5. The results will be announced on December 8 together with Himachal Pradesh.
In this phase, 833 candidates are in fray including CM and BJP leader Bhupendra Patel, Congress turncoats Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor contesting on BJP tickets, Dalit leader and Congress candidate Jignesh Mevani, among others.
In what is said to be a three-corner contest this time, the ruling BJP's blitzkrieg campaign was spearheaded by PM Narendra Modi himself who addressed over 30 rallies across the state.
While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi remained absent from the Gujarat campaign with just two public rallies, Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann led the Aam Aadmi Party's campaigns aggressively.
Polls will be held in 14 districts including Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha, Banaskantha, Modi's home district Mehsana, Vadodara, Gandhinagar, among others.
The election commission on Saturday in a statement urged the voters to come out for better turnout in the second phase. The first phase on December 1 saw an average turnout of 63.31 per cent, compared to 66.75 per cent in 2017.
Ahead of the second phase of polling, rumours are rife that Congress would choose an OBC as Gujarat CM if it won the polls.
On Saturday, party's state president Jagdish Thakor told reporters that although Congress hasn't announced anything in this regard officially, "there is nothing wrong if a person from a majority community gets the chance."
The rumours before the second phase of polling are said to be a strategic move of Congress since OBC voters dominate north Gujarat. The party has also been unofficially talking about choosing deputy CMs from other tribal, dalit and minority communities if it is elected to power.