Nominations for first phase of Gujarat Assembly polls to begin tomorrow

Gandhinagar:

The nominations for the first phase of Gujarat Assembly election will begin tomorrow with the issue of notification for the same.

According to Chief Election Officer B B Swain for the December 9 election ie in the first phase, the notification for the first phase would be issued on November 14 ie tomorrow with which the nomination process would begin. The last date for nominations would be November 21. The date for scrutiny of nomination papers will be November 22. It could be withdrawn till November 24.

Notably in the first phase in which of the total 182 constituencies, 89 of 19 districts from Saurashtra-Kutch and South Gujarat regions (Kutch, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Morbi, Jamnagar, Devbhomi-Dwarka, Porbandar, Gir-Somnath, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Botad, Narmada, Bharuch, Surat, Tapi, Navsari, Valsad, and Dangs ) will go to polls.

Despite the start of nomination process from tomorrow none of the prominent political parties including ruling BJP and main opposition Congress have issued any list of candidates. Only AAP party, a non-player of sorts in Gujarat where it has seen humiliating defeat in last Lok sabha election has announced some of its candidates.However Congress and BJP are likely to announce the first lists very soon. BJP’s central parliamentary board in this connection would be held on November 15 while GPCC president Bharat Solanki has claimed the first list of around 70 candidates would be announced on November 18.

In the second phase on December 14, 93 constituencies of remaining 14 districts of North and Central Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Banaskantha, Patan, Mahesana, Sabarkantha, Aravlalli, Gandhinagar, Anand, Kheda, Mahisagar, Panchmahal, Dahod, Vadodara and Chota Udepur) will go to polls.

The notification for the second phase will be issued on November 20 with which the nomination process will begin. The last date for nominations will be November 27. The date for scrutiny of nomination papers will be November 28 while the it can be withdrawn till November 30.

Of the total 4.33 crore voters 2.11 crore will be for the first phase while the remaining 2.21 crores will be able to exercise their franchise in the second phase.

Counting of votes will take place on December 18.

For the first time one booth in each of the 182 constituencies will be managed by women only. The total number of booths is 50128 all of which use EVMs fitted with VVPAT for the polls.

DeshGujarat