Highlights

12.53 pm ISTCongress’s campaign tactics have failed: Arun Jaitley
12.11 pm ISTAround 23% voter turnout recorded till 12pm
11.51 am ISTUna assembly seat: BJP candidate Hari Solanki casts vote
11.36 am IST11% voter turnout in till 10am: EC
11.23 am ISTEVMs getting connected with bluetooth, claims Congress’ Arjun Modhwadia
11.01 am IST2 EVMs, 1 VVPAT replaced in Surat’s Varaccha
10.57 am ISTCongress leaders Ahmed Patel, Arjun Modhwadia cast vote
10.38 am ISTFaulty EVM in Sardar Patel Vidyalaya booth in Surat’s Varaccha has been replaced
10.14 am IST15% voting recorded till 10am
10.11 am ISTKamrej: BJP’s Zalavadiya Vinubhai Dahyabhai is up against Congress’s Ashok Jirawala
10.06 am ISTVote comes first, wedding later
9.48 am IST33 EVMs show technical error during first phase of voting in Gujarat elections
9.35 am IST8% voter turnout recorded till 9am, 22 EVMs show technical error
9.26 am ISTBJP has turned leaders like Sardar Patel into ‘product’: Rahul Gandhi
9.15 am ISTMajura seat: BJP’s incumbent MLA Harsh Sanghvi faces Congress’ Ashok Kothari
9.12 am ISTBJP’s Jhankhnaben Patel faces Congress’ Yogeshbhai Patel in Choryasi
9.07 am ISTJitu Vaghani casts vote in Bhavnagar West
8.56 am ISTVijay Rupani casts vote in Rajkot West
8.54 am ISTPAAS leader claims ‘fixing’ between Hardik Patel, Congress
8.24 am ISTRahul Gandhi appeals to voters to exercise their franchise
8.07 am ISTVoting for first phase of Gujarat elections in Bharuch
8.00 am ISTVoting begins for 89 seats in first phase of Gujarat elections
7.49 am ISTEC to use VVPAT in voting in first phase of Gujarat elections
7.45 am ISTKey battles in Gujarat elections first phase
7.30 am ISTVoting in first phase of Gujarat to begin at 8am
6.21 am ISTPM Narendra Modi appeals to voters to make Gujarat elections a success

As many as 21,231,652 people are expected to exercise their franchise at 24,689 polling booths in first phase of Gujarat elections. Photo: ANI/Twitter

After a high-pitched campaigning by BJP’s Narendra Modi and Congress’s Rahul Gandhi, polling in the first phase of Gujarat elections, started at 8 am on Saturday. As many as 977 candidates are in the fray to get elected from 89 of the total 182 constituencies in the state. The seats are spread out over 19 districts of Kutch, Saurashtra and South Gujarat.The polling will end at 5pm. As many as 21,231,652 people are expected to exercise their franchise at 24,689 polling booths. Here are the latest updates and developments from the first phase of Gujarat elections.
12.53 pm IST Congress’s campaign tactics have failed: Arun JaitleyUnion finance minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday expressed confidence that the BJP will win Gujarat elections. “This will be a landslide victory for BJP and the win will be resounding. Congress’s campaign tactics have failed,” he said. (ANI)
12.11 pm IST Around 23% voter turnout recorded till 12pmThe first phase of polling in Gujarat elections today has recorded around 23% voter turnout till 12pm, according to Tv9 Gujarati. A Firstpost report says Surat recorded 26% voter turnout till 12pm, while Narmada recorded 21%. Voting percentage was recorded 16% at Navsari, 19% at Tapi, 20% at Dang, 22% at Bharuch.
11.51 am IST Una assembly seat: BJP candidate Hari Solanki casts voteBJP’s Una assembly seat candidate Hari Solanki casts vote. Solanki is contesting against Congress sitting MLA Vansh Punjabhai Bhimabhai who had beaten BJP’s Kalubhai Chanabhai Rathod in 2012. Una was in news last year, on 11 July, after seven Dalits from Mota Samadhiyala village of Gir Somnath district were flogged publically for skinning a dead cow.
11.36 am IST 11% voter turnout in till 10am: ECAround 11% voter turnout was recorded in the initial two hours during polling on 89 seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions in the first phase of the crucial Gujarat assembly polls. After the polling process began at 8 am, people could be seen stepping out of their homes despite cold weather and queuing up to exercise their franchise at the polling stations. According to officials, around 11% voting has been recorded in the first two hours. Although there were reports of technical glitches in EVMs in Surat and some other centres, the polling process resumed after the machines were replaced, officials of the Election Commission said. In the first two hours, several important leaders and candidates cast their votes, including Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, his opponent on Rajkot-West seat Indranil Rajyaguru, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, Gujarat BJP chief Jitu Vaghani and Congress MLA of Amreli seat Paresh Dhanan, among others. Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara also cast his vote in Rajkot. (PTI)
11.23 am IST EVMs getting connected with bluetooth, claims Congress’ Arjun ModhwadiaAmid reports of EVM glitches from across Gujarat in the first phase of voting today, Congress candidate from Porbandar, Arjun Modhwadia claimed that the EVMs are getting connected with bluetooth.
#Porbandar : #Congress candidate @arjunmodhwadia claimed that the EVMs are getting connected with Bluetooth :https://t.co/JnCCJj4rfv #Gujarat #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/UArkWq6wBQ
— Tv9 Gujarati (@tv9gujarati) December 9, 2017
11.01 am IST 2 EVMs, 1 VVPAT replaced in Surat’s VaracchaFollowing reports of technical errors in the EVMs in Surat’s Varaccha seat, the EC has replaced two machines and one VVPAT.“Have replaced two machines and one VVPAT, you cannot really call it a technical error, these are electronic items there can be some issues. Now everything is okay & voting has started,” Vipul Goti, Master Trainer, Election Commission in Surat’s Varaccha.
10.57 am IST Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Arjun Modhwadia cast voteCongress leaders Arjun Modhwadia and Ahmed Patel cast their vote. Modhwadia cast his vote at a polling booth in Porbandar, he is contesting against BJP’s sitting MLA Babu Bokhiria. Patel cast his vote at a polling booth in Bharuch’s Ankleshwar. Patel also expressed confidence that his party will win more than 110 seats.
10.38 am IST Faulty EVM in Sardar Patel Vidyalaya booth in Surat’s Varaccha has been replaced
Faulty EVM in Sardar Patel Vidyalaya booth in Surat's Varaccha has been replaced #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/X6Tzu7aNCs
— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017
10.14 am IST 15% voting recorded till 10amAround 15% voting recorded till 10am in the first phase of Gujarat elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi have urged the people to come out in large numbers and vote. Meanwhile, the BJP tweeted that Amit Shah will hold four public meetings in Gujarat today.
10.11 am IST Kamrej: BJP’s Zalavadiya Vinubhai Dahyabhai is up against Congress’s Ashok JirawalaVoting is underway on Surat’s Kamrej assembly seat in the first phase of Gujarat elections where Patidars hold the key. This semi-urban constituency includes 72 villages of Surat district. BJP’s Zalavadiya Vinubhai Dahyabhai is up against Congress’s Ashok Jirawala. Pansheriya Prafulbhai Chhaganbhai of BJP is the sitting MLA who won the 2012 assembly election against Bhagirathbhai Manubhai Pithavdiwala of the Congress.
10.06 am IST Vote comes first, wedding laterA couple reaches polling booth in Bharuch’s Bahumali building to cast their votes before their wedding ceremony.
A couple reaches polling booth in Bharuch's Bahumali building to cast their votes before their wedding ceremony #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/laEvfU75Zl
— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017
9.48 am IST 33 EVMs show technical error during first phase of voting in Gujarat elections
#Rajkot : 33 EVMs show technical error during voting :https://t.co/JE97bFhCNg #Gujarat #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/7ysO96pLqz
— Tv9 Gujarati (@tv9gujarati) December 9, 2017
9.35 am IST 8% voter turnout recorded till 9am, 22 EVMs show technical errorAround 8% voting recorded till 9am in the first phase of Gujarat elections, according to Tv9 Gujarati. The channel also reports of 22 EVMs showing technical error during polling.
Around 8% voting recorded till 9 am in the first phase.#Gujarat #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/UgqN0JBgBP
— Tv9 Gujarati (@tv9gujarati) December 9, 2017
9.26 am IST BJP has turned leaders like Sardar Patel into ‘product’: Rahul GandhiCongress vice president Rahul Gandhi has accused the BJP of turning leaders such as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose into “product”. Gandhi on Friday addressed a campaign meeting in Anand town in central Gujarat which is historically associated with Sardar Patel. “Sardar Patel does not belong to either Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi or Solanki, or to Gujarat or India, but he belongs to the world,” Gandhi said. “The Congress party will always respect him, but I would like to tell you that sometimes it appears that whether it is Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose, it sometimes appears that they (BJP) have turned them into a product,” Gandhi said. (PTI)
9.15 am IST Majura seat: BJP’s incumbent MLA Harsh Sanghvi faces Congress’ Ashok KothariSitting BJP MLA Harsh Sanghvi is contesting against Congress’s Ashok Kothari in Surat’s Majura. The Majura seat was formed after the 2008 delimitation and has a significant number of migrants from North India. The constituency has reportedly around 2.3 lakh voters, and of them only 1.5 lakh are Gujaratis. Dhanpat Jain, who was the Congress candidate in 2012 from Majura reportedly received just 31,000 votes against Sanghvi’s 1,03,000.
Visuals of locals after casting their vote in Surat's Majura. BJP MLA Harsh Sanghvi is contesting against Congress's Ashok Kothari. This seat was formed after the 2008 delimitation. #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/zWTV4fq7I6
— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017
9.12 am IST BJP’s Jhankhnaben Patel faces Congress’ Yogeshbhai Patel in ChoryasiVoting is underway on Surat’s Choryasi assembly seat where BJP’s Jhankhnaben Patel is up against Congress’s Yogeshbhai B. Patel.The contest for the 12 seats in Surat, the diamond and textile hub of the country as well as a BJP bastion, is being viewed as a referendum on the note ban and GST, as the BJP is facing a stiff opposition from the trading community.
Voting underway on Surat's Choryasi assembly seat. Here BJP's Jhankhnaben Patel is up against Congress's Yogeshbhai B. Patel
#GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/3p84yV2br3
— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017
9.07 am IST Jitu Vaghani casts vote in Bhavnagar WestGujarat BJP chief Jitu Vaghani and the party’s candidate from Bhavnagar West has expressed confidence of winning more than 150 seats.“We are going to win 150+ seats under the leadership of PM Modi ji, we face no obstacles,” he said after casting vote in Bhavnagar West.
We are going to win 150+ seats under the leadership of PM Modi ji, we face no obstacles: Jitu Vaghani,BJP Gujarat Chief and candidate from Bhavnagar West #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/JrC3lKBQHn
— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017
8.56 am IST Vijay Rupani casts vote in Rajkot WestGujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani casts vote in Rajkot West. He is facing the challenge from Congress’ Indranil Rajyaguru. The CM had earlier urged the people to come out in large numbers to vote. “We are very confident, no question of any challenge,” he said.
#GujaratElection2017 : #Gujarat CM @vijayrupanibjp casts his vote , #Rajkot pic.twitter.com/bdvpBqumu0
— Tv9 Gujarati (@tv9gujarati) December 9, 2017
8.54 am IST PAAS leader claims ‘fixing’ between Hardik Patel, CongressEarlier Hardik Patel’s key aide and senior member of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) Dinesh Bambhania had alleged on Friday that the quota agitation spearhead’s support to the Congress party smacks of some kind of “fixing” between them. Bambhania said he could not understand why Patel was supporting the Congress party. “In the poll manifesto, the Congress has not clarified how it would grant us reservation under OBC quota after coming to power in Gujarat. It shows that Congress actually never wanted to give us reservation. Yet, Hardik Patel is doing rallies in Congress’ favour,” he told reporters. “Our fight was not about bringing a party to power. At least I do not wish to be an agent of a party. Hardik should not politicise the agitation... I urge all the Patidars to use their wisdom when they go for voting tomorrow,” Bhambania said. (PTI)
8.24 am IST Rahul Gandhi appeals to voters to exercise their franchise
मतदाताओं की भागीदारी लोकतंत्र की आत्मा होती है। गुजरात चुनाव में पहली बार वोट डाल रहे युवा साथियों का बहुत स्वागत और अभिनन्दन। गुजरात की जनता से अपील है कि भारी संख्या में मतदान कर लोकतंत्र के इस पर्व को सफल बनाएं।
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 9, 2017
8.07 am IST Voting for first phase of Gujarat elections in Bharuch
Voting for first phase of #GujaratElection2017 begins. Visuals from Bharuch's Ankleshwar pic.twitter.com/gOduleVrRO
— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017
8.00 am IST Voting begins for 89 seats in first phase of Gujarat electionsVoting has started in 89 seats out of the 182 constituencies in the first phase of Gujarat elections.
7.49 am IST EC to use VVPAT in voting in first phase of Gujarat electionsThe Election Commission (EC) has put in place “elaborate administrative safeguards and security protocols” for ensuring effective use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in the state. Read more“In order to provide 100% voter verifiability and auditability of every vote cast through the EVM, the Commission has deployed Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines in all the 50,128 polling stations in Gujarat excluding Auxiliary Polling Stations,” a press release by the EC said.
7.45 am IST Key battles in Gujarat elections first phaseA total of 977 candidates are in fray for the first phase of Gujarat elections, which will see the electorate in 89 constituencies exercise their franchise at 24,689 polling booths. Prominent candidates for today’s battle include chief minister Vijay Rupani, who is contesting from Rajkot (West), and Congress’s Shaktisinh Gohil (Mandvi) and Paresh Dhanani (Amreli).
7.30 am IST Voting in first phase of Gujarat to begin at 8amVoting for the first phase of Gujarat elections will begin today on 89 seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions.After a campaign that often turned vituperative, around 2.12 crore voters would be exercising their franchise in PM Narendra Modi’s home state to choose between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. The election is viewed as a prestige battle for Modi and a litmus test for the leadership of soon-to-be Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The poll discourse over the course of campaigning kept changing with issues such as the Ayodhya dispute, Gandhi’s imminent elevation as Congress president and his visits to temples being raked up by the BJP.Gandhi emerged as the Congress’ pivot to take on the might of the prime minister on his home turf. While Modi addressed about 15 rallies, Gandhi spent more than seven days in Saurashtra and south Gujarat, addressing a number of meetings. (PTI)
6.21 am IST PM Narendra Modi appeals to voters to make Gujarat elections a success
Phase 1 of Gujarat polls begin. Urging all those voting today to turnout in record numbers and vote. I particularly call upon youngsters to exercise their franchise.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017