The counting of votes for 182 Assembly seats in Gujarat is underway. The polls were held in two phases with 89 seats voting on December 1, while the second phase of polling was held on December 5 in 92 Assembly segments. Gujarat registered a voter turnout of 64.33% for the recently-concluded elections, a drop of over 4% compared with the turnout registered in the last Assembly polls in 2017.
Exit polls have predicted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is projected to secure its seventh consecutive term in the State.
A total of 1,621 candidates were in the fray for elections to 182 seats in Gujarat, where the BJP is seeking a seventh straight term while the Congress is the main opposition party. New entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is trying to make a debut in the State in a bid to challenge the BJP’s supremacy.
Aiming to breach the BJP’s Gujarat bastion, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) fielded its candidate to contest all 182 Assembly seats and carried out a high decibel campaign in the run-up to the polls in Gujarat.
During the campaign, the party positioned itself and its national convenor Mr. Kejriwal as the sole challenger of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi respectively.
The results of the high-stakes polls in Mr. Modi’s home State will determine whether the AAP could successfully elbow out the Congress as number two in the tally and emerge as the principal challenger of the BJP.
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Here are the updates of the results:
Counting of votes begin
Counting of votes for the high-stakes Gujarat Assembly polls began at 37 counting centres amid tight security and in the presence of Election Commission of India-appointed observers across the state.
While counting of postal ballots began at 8 a.m., counting of EVM votes will begin at 8.30 am, an official said.
The Commission has made elaborate security arrangements to ensure a smooth counting process. The entire counting process is being videotaped.— PTI
BJP upbeat ahead of counting of votes
The ruling BJP in Gujarat is aiming for a straight seventh term in the State, as the counting of votes for the Assembly elections held on December 1 and 5 gets underway on Thursday morning.
The counting process will start at 8 a.m. at 37 counting centres covering the 182 Assembly seats.
It was a high-stakes three-cornered fight between the BJP, Congress and AAP. Political observers said the outcome will determine who captures the main opposition space in Gujarat.
Exit polls have predicted a big majority for the BJP in Gujarat and if these projections are any indication, the saffron party is all set to retain power in the State for the seventh consecutive term and equal Left Front’s feat in West Bengal. — PTI