Two of the most senior members of India's ruling BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, cast their votes in the second phase of the Gujarat legislative assembly elections on Monday.
This final phase of the polling, taking place in 93 constituencies across 14 districts of the state, kicked off at 08:00 IST (02:30 GMT) and as many as 833 candidates from 61 political parties are contesting the polls.
State chief Bhupendra Patel, former journalist Jignesh Mewani, and Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor, both of whom recently quit Congress to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are among the main contestants.
The prime minister visited a polling station at a school in the Ranip area of the city of Ahmedabad to cast his vote, and Shah voted at a municipal center in the city's Naranpura region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Voted During Polling for Second Phase of Gujarat State Assembly Elections
© Photo : Twitter/ @narendramodi
After casting his vote, Modi congratulated the Election Commission for conducting the polling peacefully.
“The festival of democracy has been celebrated with great pomp by the people of Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. I want to thank the people of the country. I also want to congratulate the Election Commission for conducting elections peacefully,” he said while talking to the media.
Home Minister Shah tweeted: “Today is the second and last phase of polling in Gujarat. I appeal to all who are eligible to vote in this phase - especially the youth - to get out and cast your ballot so that as many people as possible elect a government with a thumping majority that will ensure peace and prosperity in Gujarat. The golden future of Gujarat lies in your one vote.”
Federal Home Minister Amit Shah Urged People of Gujarat to Vote in Huge Numbers
© Photo : Twitter/@AmitShah
Congress politician Rahul Gandhi, who is leading the “Bharat Jodo Yatra” (Unite India Campaign) movement across the country, said in a tweet in Hindi: “We will fulfill the promise given to youngsters, farmers, women and every citizen. We will bring change to Gujarat. I appeal to the people of Gujarat: vote in large numbers! By using your rights, fulfill this important responsibility for the progress and development of the state.”
Congress Parliamentarian Rahul Gandhi Urges People of Gujarat to Vote for Change
© Photo : Twitter/@RahulGandhi
Modi received the blessings of his mother Hiraba on the eve of polling.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Took Blessings From His Mother on the eve of Gujarat Elections
© Photo : Twitter/@BJP4India
Voter turn-out as of 11:00 IST (05:30 GMT) remained sluggish with only 19.1 percent having cast a vote.
The BJP is seeking a seventh straight term in Gujarat where the new poll entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has added a third dimension to the traditional bipolar contest between the BJP and its arch-rival Congress.