The second phase of the assembly polls began at 8 a.m. in Gujarat on Thursday. The first phase of the Gujarat Elections 2017, held on December 9, registered over 60 per cent polling.
In the second phase, as many as 93 assembly constituencies across 14 districts in northern and central regions went for polling.
So far, the campaign has witnessed a bitter battle between the Congress party and the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is confident of a victory and has slammed the opposition during many rallies in his home ground Gujarat.
“Today is Phase 2 of the Gujarat elections. I request all those voting today to vote in record numbers and enrich this festival of democracy,” PM Modi said on Twitter on Thursday.
Today is Phase 2 of the Gujarat elections. I request all those voting today to vote in record numbers and enrich this festival of democracy.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 14, 2017
Newly elected Congress president Rahul Gandhi claimed that the public mood had undergone a radical change.
As many as 851 candidates are in the fray. A total of 25,575 polling booths have been set up in 14,523 regions.
Elections are being held in Banaskantha, Patan, Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Aravalli, Mahisagar, Panchmahal, Dahod, Kheda, Anand, Vadodara and Chhota Udepur districts from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Special deployment of police has been made to ensure law and order in the poll-bound regions. The Election Commission has deployed hundreds of companies of the Central Armed Police Forces, 12 companies of Rapid Action Force and 19 companies of the State Reserve Police Force for the assembly polls.
