Gujarat Polls: Urban voter turnout 15% lower than in tribal & rural belt

(File Photo)


In the first phase of the Gujarat assembly elections, rural and tribal voters have come out in large numbers, but the urban voters have not come out to vote on such a scale.

Till 3 p.m., 48.48 % voters voted for 788 candidates in 89 constituencies in Saurashtra and Kutch and South Gujarat. The highest voting has been reported in Tapi district at 64.27%, Narmada 63.88% and Dangs 58.55%.

In Saurashtra’s Bhavnagar district it was 45.91 percent, Junagadh district 46.03 % and Surat 47.01% votes.

Constituency-wise voting shows a huge difference between enthusiasm for voting in tribal reserve seat Nizar at 66.42%, Kaprada (64.45%), whereas in the urban areas it was 42.90% in Rajkot West and 43.42% in Rajkot South.

In Rajkot district, in the most sensitive assembly constituency Gondal, Congress candidate Yatish Desai alleged that the party’s polling agent Jaydeep Parakhiya was beaten up by BJP leader Babubhai Toliya’s son, they attempted bogus voting at Jamvadi polling station of the constituency.