18-20% polling till 1100 hours in Guj

Between 18 to 20% polling was reported till 11 hours of voting in Gujarat today amidst stray incidents of violence in various parts of the state.      

Two nodal officers in Panchmahls district were injured after they were allegedly beaten up by some villagers outside a polling booth in Sehra taluka, police said.      

In another incident, there was an altercation between Gram Lokraksahak Dal (GLD) jawans and BJP polling agents in Hansot taluka of Bharuch district, they said.      

Malfunctioning of EVMs was reported from Bharcharwada and Rajuvadia villages in Narmada district.      

Polling for 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat began this morning amidst tight security arrangements.      

BJP's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani, three Union ministers, Shankarsinh Vaghela, Dinsha Patel and Naran Rathwa, are in the fray among 359 candidates.      

Advani, Gujarat Chief Minsiter Narendra Modi, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitely and Congress leaders including Ahmed Patel, Shankarsinh Vaghela, Madhavsinh Solanki, Arjun Modhvadia, Siddarth Patel and Shaktishin Gohil were among the early voters.      

Independent candidate and noted danseuse Mallika Sarabhai cast her vote in Gandhinagar.

According to the State Election Commission, 23% polling was reported in Bharuch, 17 in Banaskantha, 19 in Bhavnagar, 7.5, 20 in Chotta Udaipur, 25 in Mehasana, 16 in Rajkot, 15 in Kheda and 14 in Porbandar.      

As many as 42,568 EVMs are being used in this phase and 1,492 polling stations have been identified as 'vulnerable'. Polling in all critical and 'vulenrable' polling booths is being videographed.      

Around, 43,000 policemen and 85 companies of Central paramiliatary force personnel, 52,000 jawans of the home guards and Lok Rakshak Dals have also been deployed across polling booths statewide.