Gujarat Assembly election: Things to know about today's phase 1 of polling

In the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections 2017, as many as 977 candidates, including CM Rupani and Congress' Shaktisinh Gohil are in the fray for 89 of the state's 182 seats

Amid powerful rallies, heightened emotional drama and continuous exchange of dialogues, 89 constituencies of Gujarat are set to exercise their right to franchise in the first phase of Assembly elections 2017 on December 9.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left no stone unturned to help his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) return to power in his home state, Gujarat will also be an important factor for the soon-to-be Congress President Rahul Gandhi's political stature.

Here are a few things to look out for in the first phase of polling on Saturday:

Election in numbers

This phase is crucial for Gujarat, as the state will