Gandhinagar: A voter turnout of 63.14 per cent was recorded in the first phase of the Gujarat assembly elections which covered 89 constituencies of Saurashtra-Kutch and south Gujarat region.
This is little over 3 per cent less compared to the 2017 assembly elections when the voter turnout was 66.75%.
Highest 73.02 per cent turnout was recorded in Narmada district while lowest 53.84 per cent was in Porbandar district.
According to Election Commission's data, till 11 p.m., approximate 72.32 per cent voters voted in Tapi district, Morbi (67.65 per cent), Navsari (66.62 per cent), Valsad (65.29 per cent), Dangs (64.84 per cent) and Bharuch (63.08 per cent).
In urban constituencies like Karanj, voting was just 49.53 per cent, Choryasi (54.40 per cent), Surat North (55.32 per cent), Udhana (55.69 per cent). Whereas in rural areas, turnout in Mahuva of Bhavnagar district was 60.45 per cent, in Amreli's Rajula constituency it was 63.30 per cent, Dhrangadhra of Surendranagar district it was 66.77 per cent.
Compared with previous elections' turnout, in the Mandvi seat of Kutch district voting percentage has dropped 19 per cent, in Surat's Mangrol seat it has fallen by 17 per cent.
People at certain places also boycotted voting. In Samot village of Narmada district, 1000 voters were listed, but not single voter turned up to vote, in Gir Somnath district's Pipalva village out of total 1700 voters, till 4 p.m., only 40 voters reached polling booth to exercise their franchise.
A day after the first phase of voting in Saurashtra, Kutch and South Gujarat region ended, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that the BJP was retaining power. On the other hand, the Congress has started preparing for the government formation after claiming feedback of good performance in the first phase.
The Prime Minister while addressing a public gathering in the Banaskantha district on Friday morning claimed that in the first phase elections the BJP had performed very well. "After completing a road show in Ahmedabad, I spoke to a few people in Saurashtra and South Gujarat, and their assessment was that the BJP was doing far well in the first phase. This indicates that the BJP is returning to power with a record number of seats in the Assembly."
He claimed:
"Women and first-time voters have voted in BJP's favour in large numbers."
The Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, however, claimed a big win for the party.
The two had a closed-door meeting in Ahmedabad and discussed the outcome of the Phase-I voting. It seems the party leaders have got some feedback of gaining grounds and so discussed the formation of government, said sources.
According to the sources, Congress is planning to project an OBC leader as the CM candidate, and one Deputy Chief Minister each from the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Muslim communities.
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