Gujarat registers higher voter turnout of 62.4%

Gujarat registered heavy voter turnout on Wednesday with average voting of 62.4 per cent in the state against 47.92 per cent in 2009 up by about 15 percentage points. The polling was largely peaceful across the state with no major unpleasant incident.

As per the figures provided by the Election Commission of India (ECI) till the end of the voting hours, polling at the Gandhinagar constituency was 62 per cent almost at par with the state average but significantly higher than what was seen in 2009 at 50.82 per cent. Notably, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran, L K Advani is contesting from Gandhinagar.

Among other important seats, Vadodara constituency, from where the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and state chief minister Narendra Modi is contesting, registered a record voter turnout with 70 per cent. In 2009, the voting percentage was 49 per cent.

In Gujarat, where BJP aims a clean sweep, highest voting was registered in the South Gujarat region, where districts like Tapi, Dangs, Narmada, Valsad and Navsari registered much higher voting percentage at 77.5 per cent, 76 per cent, 78 per cent, 72.6 per cent and 69 per cent respectively.

Earlier in the day, besides Modi and Advani, political heavyweights like BJP general secretary Amit Shah and Ahmed Patel, political advisor to Congress president Sonia Gandhi cast their votes at their respective polling booths.

In north Gujarat, amid much media frenzy, Modi’s wife Jashodaben Modi exercised her voting franchise at a polling booth in Unjha. Also, Hiraba, Modi’s mother too cast her vote.

From the industrial bigwigs, Gautam Adani of the Adani Group along with his family cast his vote at a polling booth in Ahmedabad.

However, voting in Gujarat has remained lower among other states that went to polls on Wednesday on April 30.

Although the voting was brisk in the early ours of the day, it was slow in the afternoon due to heat. Yet, it picked up in the evening during the last two hours contributing almost 30 per cent to the total voting.

Ahmedabad registered 62.30 per cent voting, while voting at Surat was 61.50 per cent. Meanwhile, Porbandar and Junagadh registered lowest voting in the state with 46 per cent and 53 per cent respectively.