Gujarat Election 2022: Phase 2 Polling Begins With 833 Candidates, Including CM Patel, In Fray

The Election Commission has deployed 29,000 presiding officers and over 84,000 polling officers in 14 districts.

Polling officials check EVM and other election equipment at a distribution centre before leaving for their respective polling stations, ahead of the second and final phase of Gujarat Assembly elections ( Image Source :PTI )

New Delhi: The second phase of Gujarat Assembly elections for 93 seats of 14 districts across North and Central Gujarat began on Monday as per schedule at 8 am. With 833 candidates in the fray, the second phase includes high-profile candidates, including Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel from the Ghatlodia seat in Ahmedabad. 

Here are the key points:

• Polling for the second phase begins at 8 am and concludes at 5 pm on Monday.
• A total of 2.54 crore voters will be eligible to exercise their franchise. Polling is being conducted at 26,409 booths where around 36,000 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are deployed.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will cast their votes in Ahmedabad today.
• The Election Commission has deployed 29,000 presiding officers and over 84,000 polling officers in 14 districts.
• Among the high-stake seats that are going to polls on Monday include the Ghatlodia assembly constituency from where incumbent Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will be contesting, Viramgam, where BJP has fielded Patidar leader Hardik Patel, Gandhinagar South from where Alpesh Thakor is contesting from BJP and SC-reserved seat Vadgam will have sitting MLA Jignesh Mevani contesting on a Congress ticket
• Notably, Ahmedabad, with the maximum number of 21 seats, falls under the Central Gujarat region, having eight districts with 61 seats. In 2017, BJP had won 40 seats, while the Congress had bagged 19, and two seats had gone to Independent candidates.
• The North Gujarat region has six districts with 32 seats. Out of this, BJP had won 11 seats, while Congress bagged a majority of 20 seats and a Congress-supported Independent won from Vadgam seat in the 2017 elections.
• The campaigning for the second phase of polls ended on Saturday evening, with three key competing parties BJP, Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) holding rallies, public meetings, roadshows, and door-to-door campaigning. 

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi held massive roadshows in Ahmedabad on December 1 and 2, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior party leaders also held public meetings across the state.