Wednesday, Nov 30, 2022: Voting for the 1st Phase of Elections tomorrow
Union Home Minister: Amit Shah
Tuesday, 29th November 2022: Amit Shah, Union Home Minister and a Senior BJP leader said,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a zero-tolerance policy towards radicalisation and terrorism.” He added that the decision to ban Popular Front of India (PFI) was based on a long list of “anti-national” activities that included pushing young people towards terrorism.
Amit Shah, in his interview with the Hindustan Times, said that BJP would win the seventh consecutive election for Gujarat Legislative Assembly, due to its record of excellent governance and its successful and effective development model. (Reference: https://tinyurl.com/5n8jxpm2 )
Prime Minister Narendrabhai Modi will be addressing three rallies on Thursday, 1st December 2022 in the constituencies, which are going to polls during the 2nd phase.
ANALYSIS: The stage is set for the 1st phase of voting in 89 constituencies. The poll is very crucial as the results will set the tone for the upcoming General Election 2024.
The voters will decide the fate of 788 candidates in 89 constituencies on Thursday, 1st December 2022. The voting will be held across 19 districts in Saurashtra-Kutch and southern parts of the state. The campaigning for the first phase of the elections in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state ended on Tuesday. The voting will be held between 8 am and 5 pm on Thursday across 14,382 polling stations.
Apart from the BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), 36 other political formations, including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) have also fielded candidates in various seats, which will go to polls in the first phase. The BJP and Congress are contesting in all the 89 seats.
The new poll entrant AAP is contesting in 88 seats. Its candidate from Surat East constituency had withdrawn his candidature, leaving the party with one less seat to contest in the first phase. Among other parties, the BSP has fielded 57 candidates, BTP 14 and CPI-M four candidates. As many as 339 independents are also in the fray in the first phase of polls.
Out of total 788 candidates, only 70 are women, including Out of the total 788 candidates, 70 are women including nine fielded by the BJP, six by the Congress and five by the AAP.
WHO ARE THE KEY CANDIDATES: AAP’s chief ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi is contesting from Khambhalia seat in Devbhumi Dwarka district of Saurashtra region. AAP state unit president Gopal Italia is contesting from Katargam in Surat.
Among other prominent candidates in the first phase are Rivaba Jadeja, the wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, who is contesting from Jamnagar (North), and BJP MLAs Harsh Sanghavi and Purnesh Modi from different seats in Surat and five-time MLA Parshottam Solanki from Bhavnagar (Rural).
Sitting Congress MLAs like Lalit Kagathara, Lalit Vasoya, Rutvik Makwana and Mohammad Javed Pirzada are among the candidates in fray in the first phase from seats in Saurashtra region. Seven-time MLA and veteran tribal leader Chhotu Vasava is contesting from Jhagadia in Bharuch.
Porbandar Assembly Constituency: The three candidates of AAP, Congress and BJP are Jeevan Jungi (AAP), President of Porbandar Fishing Boats Association, Arjunbhai Devabhai Modhwadia (Congress) and Babubhai Bhimabhai Bokhiriya (BJP).
Babubhai Bhimabhai Bokhiriya has ben the sitting MLA since 2012.
— By Sachin Ashal