Gujarat polls: Policemen cast vote through postal ballot

Nearly 58 per cent voting was reported on the first day of the special exercise meant for the police personnel deployed on election duty in Gujarat as part of the arrangement made by the Election Commission, a senior officer said.

"Nearly 58 per cent of votes were cast through the postal ballot at the end of the day today, where home guards, state reserve police(SRP) personnel and jawans engaged in poll duty exercised their franchise," Jamnagar District Election Officer N B Upadhayay told PTI.

"Out of 2,373 police personnel enrolled themselves for exercising their constitutional right, 1,471 jawans cast vote today," he said.

Elections will be held in Gujarat in two phases on December 13 and 17 and counting of votes on December 20.

The election commission has made a special arrangement for voluntary voting by the police personnel in two camps at Jamnagar and Jam Khambaliya, around 60 km from here.

While the camp at Jamnagar was held today the one at Jam Khambaliya is slated for tomorrow.

Upadhyay said that the election commission expects "brisk" voting tomorrow.

The Election Commission has directed that all police personnel in the state who are covered under the notification issued by the state government in terms of Section 28A of the RP Act 1951, at every election, would be treated as personnel on election duty and hence would be entitled to vote through postal ballot.

Seven Assembly constituencies Kalavad, Jamnagar rural, Jamnagar North, Jamnagar South, Jamjodhpur, Khambaliya and Dwarka in Jamnagar will go to polls in the first phase on December 13.

State unit BJP president R C Faldu is among the prominent leaders to test political waters from Jamnagar Rural. Congress has fielded Raghavji Patel against Faldu.