Sporadic violence cast a shadow on the second phase of Gujarat elections on Thursday. Violent group clashes were reported in Vakaner village of Savli, where miscreants set on fire shops and vehicles triggering panic in the area thereby affecting the voter turnout.
In a separate incident, as many as 10 people were reported injured after group clashes and stone-pelting in Hasanpur village near Visnagar in Mehsana district. The police lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the crowd and also resorted to lathi charge. The injured were moved to Visnagar civil hospital.
Para military forces were deployed in both the places. It is for the first time in the near history of Gujarat elections, violent clashes with arson and stone-pelting were reported. Mehsana district has been sensitive for it being the epicentre of the Patidar reservation agitation and the constituency of Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel. Heavy security deployment was made to ensure no further clashes and tensions.
By the noon, the State registered overall 29 per cent voter turnout even as the polling remained sluggish in the urban pockets of Ahmedabad district. Earlier in the day, the Election Commission received two complaints of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) allegedly being connected with mobile devices through bluetooth. However, as compared to phase 1, less than 50 per cent cases of EVM replacements in phase 2 were reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ranip area to cast his vote as hundreds came on the streets to see him. Modi, who stood in a queue before exercising his voting right, greeted the people from his SUV after casting his vote. To this, the opposition Congress objected and raised a complaint with the EC for poll code violation by the Prime Minister alleging him for taking out a roadshow with the BJP flag.
BJP veteran and former deputy prime minister LK Advani also visited Khanpur area to cast his vote. Earlier in the day, BJP chief Amit Shah cast his vote in Naranpura, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and former chief minister Anandiben Patel also exercised their voting rights besides Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
About 2.22 crore voters will exercise their franchise to elect from 851 candidates, including 61 females. BJP has fielded candidates on all the seats, Congress has 91 candidates, followed by 75 from Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) among others.
The first phase of voting was held on December 9 covering 89 seats of the 182-Assembly. The election is being seen as a “prestige battle” for Prime Minister Modi and a litmus test for the leadership of Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi.
In 2012, BJP had won 52 seats out of the total 93 that went to the polls today. Congress currently has 39 seats and one each with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and an independent. Voter turnout in 2012 for North Gujarat was 75 per cent, while Central Gujarat had 72 per cent.