AHMEDABAD: The campaigning for the second and last phase of elections due December 5 closed on Saturday, with top leaders of three major parties going all out for 93 seats at stake, including central and north Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Gandhinagar.
The first phase of polling took place on December 1 and the voting percentage was recorded as lower than in previous 2017 polls. As many as 833 candidates are in the fray across 93 constituencies which will go to the polls on December 5. Votes will be counted on December 8. There are 2.54 crore registered voters in these constituencies.
Prominent candidates in the second phase include Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel from Ghatlodia, Patidar leader Hardik Patel from Viramgam and OBC leader Alpesh Thakor from Gandhinagar South. Both Hardik Patel and Thakor are contesting on BJP ticket. Union Minister Smriti Irani and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held public rallies for the ruling BJP. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann continued his campaigns at Garbada, Dahod, Jhalod, and Fatepura of Central Gujarat. Congress senior leaders held road shows and public rallies at various places.
On Saturday, addressing a rally at Dholka in Ahmedabad, Adityanath said the Congress and AAP “should be hanged” as they are hurdles to the country’s security and development. “The Congress and AAP, which are hurdles to the country’s security and development, usko hansiye par daal dijiye, samapt kar dijiye (put them aside, end their existence),” Yogi said.
He said only BJP can guarantee security to citizens and hailed his own measure of using bulldozers against “professional rioters” in Uttar Pradesh. “Bulldozers not only build roads but also move through the chests of criminals and terrorists. This has also become a model now,” he said.
Later, in the afternoon he also reminded people about his action against the rioters. “Now we don’t have communal riots in UP also. “Everyone has become quiet. Otherwise, there would be a riot every other day… We print the photos of rioters. We took the properties of rioters in our possession. We did not hesitate to run bulldozers over the properties of professional rioters who accumulated wealth during the Opposition rule,” he said.
In north Gujarat, BJP is plagued by dissidence and infighting in four seats of Bayad, Kheralu, Dhanera, and Deesa, where rebel candidates did not care for party persuasion and continued their candidature as independents.Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a whirlwind campaign for the BJP on December 1 and 2, including two back-to-back roadshows in Ahmedabad.
In figures
Out of 93 seats, 74 are general, 6 SC and 13 ST
833 candidates in fray -- 764 male, 69 female
Highest number of candidates in Ahmedabad’s Bapunagar constituency (29 candidates)
Lowest number of candidates in north Gujarat’s Idar (3 candidates)