The second and final phase of elections, for which the open campaigning ended at 5 pm, will see 93 assembly seats spread across 14 districts in north and central Gujarat going to polls.

At a news briefing here, Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Rahul Gandhi of playing soft-Hindutva card to appease the Hindu population of the state. He asked to come clean on the issue of Ayodhya.

The Congress leader also took on those who raised eyebrows over his visits to temples in Gujarat, wondering if it was wrong to pray for the well-being of people of the state.

"After the first phase voting in the state (December 9), we are confident that we are going to form the government here," the Gandhi scion said.

"Thank you for your good wishes Modi ji", the Gandhi scion said after PM Modi congratulated his political bete noire Rahul on his election as the new Congress president and wished him a fruitful tenure.

The second and final phase of polling in 93 Assembly seats will be held on December 14. Counting of votes for the keenly contested Gujarat election is scheduled for December 18.

In Patna, Congress workers led by acting state chief Kaukab Qadri distributed sweets while those in other state units also hailed Rahul Gandhi's unopposed election as the party chief.

Taking potshots at Gandhi's unopposed election to Congress Part President post, the BJP leader said, "As Rahul Gandhi gains new heights, Congress keeps falling."

The PM’s congratulatory message came on a day when a huge row broke out over his insinuation yesterday that his predecessor Manmohan Singh was colluding with Pakistan in influencing the Gujarat polls.

Rahul Gandhi's remark came in the wake of Modi's accusation that a group of Congress leaders met Pakistan's High Commissioner at party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's residence in New Delhi, before the latter called him (Modi) "neech".

A poster of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi with Salman Nizami, who BJP claims is a member of the Congress party, emerged on the streets of Ahmedabad on Sunday.

The Congress party today named 47-year-old Rahul Gandhi as the new president of the party. However, the official elevation of the Gandhi scion to the top post will be done on December 16.

PM Narendra Modi also raised questions about the alleged appeal by former director general (DG) of the Pakistan Army Sardar Arshad Rafiq for making senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel the chief minister of Gujarat.

Accusing the Congress of minority appeasement, Amit Shah said a spokesperson for the party, Charan Singh, had on television asked the Prime Minister to visit the Jama Masjid to seek forgiveness for the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Rahul Gandhi also questioned PM Narendra Modi over his silence on the agitations by various communities, including Patels, Dalits, anganwadi workers, among others.

Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of changing the agenda of the Gujarat elections as he was getting exposed on one issue after another.

"There was no manifesto till the campaigning for the first phase ended. Is rhetoric the new government in Gujarat?", asked the Gandhi scion.

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%

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.