Gandhinagar: The voters of Gujarat will exercise their franchise tomorrow on May 7th in the 3rd phase of polling for the General Elections of Lok Sabha 2024. It is the right of every eligible citizen to cast their vote, and for this, they are also entitled to a paid leave on polling day.

Employers are bound to grant paid leave to employees if they want to cast their vote, and if the leave is denied, the employee can complain at helpline number 1950. These measures are designed to ensure all voters can exercise their democratic right to vote.

Across the state, a total of 4.97 crore voters, comprising 2.56 crore males, 2.41 crore females, and 1,534 individuals from the third gender, are supposed to cast votes in 50,788 polling booths.

With polling day on May 7th, the campaign for the elections concluded at 6 pm on Sunday in adherence to Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act of 1951. Dr. Kuldeep Arya, Additional Chief Election Officer, emphasized that such regulations are crucial for fair and transparent elections statewide. Measures will be taken to remove non-voters, political workers, and campaigners from polling stations during this period.

Dr. Arya also highlighted the prohibition of mobile phones within polling stations, with voting scheduled from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Additionally, polling booths will be equipped with amenities such as drinking water, seating arrangements, shade, and baby care centers to address challenges posed by heat waves.

The Election Commission organized a ‘Run for Vote’ event in all districts just before the campaign period ended on Sunday.

According to EC data, Ahmedabad (East) has the highest number of candidates with 18, while Bardoli has the lowest with three contestants among the 25 seats up for grabs on May 7. Navsari boasts the highest number of voters, while Bharuch has the lowest. DeshGujarat