The polling on all 26 parliamentary constituencies in Gujarat concluded peacefully with voter turnout inching closer to what was seen in 2014.
As per the provisional turnout figures till 6 pm, the overall turnout stood at nearly 62.36 per cent — a tad lower than 63.3 per cent reported in 2014, when the ruling BJP had a clean sweep by winning all 26 seats.
Lower turnout
Even as the final figures are yet to be released, the Saurashtra and Kutch regions have indicated much lower turnout than what was seen in the 2014 polls. The districts of Amreli (54.59 per cent), Surendranagar (54.66 per cent), Porbandar (56.70 per cent) and Kutch (56.76 per cent) reported among the lowest turnout. Notably, these were the districts where the issues of farm distress, Patidar reservation agitation and water crisis dominated the poll campaigning.
On the other hand, tribal districts in South Gujarat including Bardoli (70.2 per cent), Valsad (74 per cent), Bharuch (69.5 per cent) and Chhota Udepur (67.06 per cent) reported highest turnout.
Modi, Shah vote
The polling day saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi casting his vote from Ranip in Ahmedabad, under the Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency. BJP chief Amit Shah, who has replaced Lal Krishna Advani from the seat, also cast his vote earlier in the day from here.
Making a brief media address outside the polling booth, Modi said, “India's democracy has set an example before the world. On one hand, IED (improvised explosive device) is the weapon of terrorists, while a Voter ID is the weapon of democracy. The voter ID is much more powerful than IED.”
Among other top leaders who exercised their franchise in Gujarat on Tuesday included Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, BJP veteran LK Advani, Governor of Madhya Pradesh Anandiben Patel, Governor of Karnataka Vajubhai Vala, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel.
In Junagadh, a polling booth was set up for a single voter, Bharatdas Bapu, who cast his vote. In Dangs district, some tribal pockets reported zero turnout with several villages boycotting the elections over lack of basic amenities.