Gujarat votes in first stage of election seen as acid test for Modi
Gujarat elections
Modi has himself led the campaign to ensure that his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retains power in his home state, as a combined opposition mounted the biggest challenge ahead of the general election in 2019.
Tens of thousands of people came out to vote in the first stage of assembly elections in Gujarat on Saturday, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces his toughest electoral test since coming to power with a landslide victory in 2014.
Modi has himself led the campaign to ensure that his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retains power in his home state, as a combined opposition mounted the biggest challenge ahead of the general election in 2019.
However, some of the key BJP candidates, including Chief Minister Vijay Rupani who is himself a candidate in this phase from Rajkot have expressed confidence that BJP will emerge victorious in this electoral battle.
"The BJP will score a historic win. There will be three reasons of BJP's victory. The work of BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and his popularity and the way Congress insulted Modi. People of Gujarat will take revenge of this," Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Saturday.
Voters started turning up early in the morning and some had to wait for about 15 minutes due to a malfunction in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
In the first few hours, more than 20 per cent of voters cast their ballot, according to state government officials.
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Votes from the election will be counted on December 18 and the results announced the same day.
In the first stage of state assembly elections on Saturday, 977 candidates are trying their luck in 89 constituencies spread across 19 districts of Gujarat, according to the Election Commission.
More than 21 million people will vote during the first stage of the election on Saturday.
Modi has thrown himself into the campaign, addressing dozens of rallies over the past month, saying he alone could deliver on development.
Gujarati businesses, which form the core of Modi's support base, have complained that the Goods and Services Tax introduced this year and late last year's shock move to abolish 500 and 1,000 rupee bank notes, accounting for 86 per cent of cash in circulation, aggravated already tough economic conditions.