Gandhinagar/Gujarat Dec 9: A moderate voting percentage was witnessed in the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections till Saturday noon.

Till 4 PM, 47.28 percent voting was recorded in all the 89 assembly constituencies in Saurashtra and South Gujarat region, which are voting to send their representatives to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly.

There are 977 candidates in the fray. 57 of them are women candidates.

The polling began at 8 a.m. and will continue till 5 p.m.

Security has been beefed up in the state to ward off any untoward incidents and to maintain law and order. CCTV (Closed Circuit TV) cameras have also been installed for effective monitoring and surveillance.

Prominent candidates in the fray include Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who is contesting from Rajkot (West), along with Congress’ Shaktisinh Gohil and Paresh Dhanani.

The second phase will be held on December 14 for 93 assembly constituencies. Counting of votes and the results would be announced together on December 18. (ANI)