Polling is taking place for the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections in 89 out of the total 182 seats across 19 districts of Saurashtra-Kutch region and southern parts of the state to decide the fate of 788 candidates.

People in large number are casting their votes. However, there are many who may be opting for the None Of The Others (NOTA) but still its significant as they are coming out of their houses and casting their mandate. Its extremely positive for ant democracy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged the voters in Gujarat, especially those exercising their franchise for the first time, to poll in record numbers.

He tweeted the appeal as the first first phase of the assembly elections was set to start in his home state. “Today is the first phase of the Gujarat elections. I call upon all those voting today, particularly first time voters to exercise their franchise in record numbers,” Modi said.

The voting is being held across 14,382 polling stations, of which 3,311 are in the urban and 11,071 in rural areas, the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said.