Gujarat polls: Congress should forget 2019 elections and start preparing for 2024, says CM Rupani
Gujarat Elections: Asked PM Modi 10 questions, he failed to answer any, says Rahul Gandhi
Gujarat Elections First Phase: Newly-married couple cast their votes ahead of wedding ceremony
PM Modi in Mehsana: 'Without development there is no solution to the problems India faces'
However, the EC added that the final figures may go a little higher and the voting percentage may touch last year's figure of 71.3%
In the first phase , around 2.12 crore voters will decide the fate of 977 candidates, including Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who are trying their luck in these elections.
The EC is also deploying for the first time the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines in all the 50,128 polling stations in the state to "inject greater transparency and credibility" to the voting process.
Attacking the Congress over its work culture, Modi alleged that the party believes in—‘atkana’ (to stall), ‘latkana’ (to keep the issue hanging) and ‘bhatkana’ (to divert an issue).
Gandhi, who had alleged that the ruling party's developmental agenda was amiss earlier in the day, claimed that the BJP Sankalp Patra 2017 was hastily put together to silence the opposition.
Rahul said his party came out with a manifesto after consulting various sections of society, such as tribal communities, women and youth, and incorporating their demands.
After Mani Shankar Aiyar debacle, PM Modi has now challenged Rahul Gandhi to fire Kapil Sibal for delaying Ayodhya case.
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