AHMEDABAD: Counting of votes for Gujarat Assembly polls, considered a prestige battle for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his home state and a litmus test for new Congress president Rahul Gandhi began at 8 am on Monday. 

LIVE UPDATES:

  • BJP leads in 25 seats in early trends

  • Congress on 10 seats for now

  • BJP ahead on 13 seat in Surat, Congress ahead in 3

  • Security tightened outside counting centre in Surat's Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology




Voting for all 35 seats in South Gujarat was held on Thursday. The region which has very few high-profile names in the fray this Assembly election holds a chance for Congress to prove its strength by reversing the 2012 results.

The results are expected to have a bearing on the 2019 parliamentary polls also as Modi had come to power in 2014, based on the Gujarat 'model of development'.

In 2012, the BJP walked away with 28 (80%) out of 35 seats in the region. Of the total 16 seats in Surat district, it secured 15, including all 12 city seats. Even the tribal seats, considered Congress’ stronghold voted for it. BJP managed to get six, all tribal, seats.

The Congress hopes to reverse the 2012 result. Rahul Gandhi has campaigned aggressively all over Gujarat to try and woo businessmen over newly implemented GST, which the Congress President alleges has taken away all the money of traders.

South Gujarat Election Results Live Updates