The state has been a BJP stronghold for long and the party has set its sights on returning to power for the seventh term. Modi has been Gujarat's longest-serving chief minister from 2001 till 2014.
The voting began at 8 am in 89 constituencies spread across 19 districts of Kutch, Saurashtra and South Gujarat on Thursday and will continue till 5 pm. The voter turnout was 34.65 per cent till 1 pm.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hit back at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for calling him "Ravana" and said that there is a competition among Congress leaders as to who will use the most abusive words for him. "The Congress should note that the more dirt it throws on me,
"There will be continuous observation from 6.30 am till the completion of the polling process. Live webcasting of more than 50 per cent of polling booths in the state to keep a close watch on the voting process during the assembly elections in Gujarat," said Gujarat's Chief Electoral Offi
Highlighting the point of creating an "anti-radicalisation cell" in Gujarat, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that an anti-radical cell is a proactive step which will control terrorism and riots.
Union Health Minister and BJP leader Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday cast his vote for the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections in Hanol village in the Bhavnagar district.
"We are advocating a change. Chief Ministers were changed so that they could feel anti-incumbency. There is a neck-to-neck fight here (Ankleshwar) yet I am confident that Congress will win," said Mumtaz Patel daughter of late Congress leader Ahmed Patel
Naina Jadeja, sister-in-law of BJP's Rivaba Jadeja, who campaigned for Congress, on Thursday said that it's not "Jadeja versus Jadeja" in Jamnagar because several families in Jamnagar have members working for different parties.