Gujarat elections LIVE: 68% voter turnout in phase 1, says EC

Gujarat election LIVE updates: BJP is seeking a fifth term in Gujarat, while Congress is attempting an electoral revival

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68% voter turnout recorded in the first phase: Election Commission of India

 

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Read also: Gujarat polls: PM Modi changing agenda after getting exposed, says Rahul

 

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Gujarat polls: Arun Jaitley finds 3 major faults with Congress' campaign

 

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The faulty Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were replaced in Bhavnagar on Saturday after reports of their malfunctioning in several polling stations made headlines in the very first hour of voting in the Gujarat elections.

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A total of 26865 Ballot Units (BUs) and 24689 Control Units (CUs) were used, while 24689 VVPATs were used in the first phase: Election Commission

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Gujarat Election 2017: Nearly 55% voter turnout recorded in first phase of till 4 PM

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Where is the Congress in these elections. They are not fighting it, they have outsourced it to others. Let me tell you one thing and you mark my words. Rahul Gandhi will fail miserably in his first test as the Congress's de facto chief : Jitu Vaghani, Gujarat BJP chief

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“Did Modi visit the houses of Dalits when their youths were beaten up?” Gandhi said at a rally at Harij in Patan district.

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Did PM Modi visit houses of Dalits, Patidars when their youths were attacked?

Hitting back at Narendra Modi for saying that Congress leaders deserted the people of Gujarat during the floods, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday asked if the Prime Minister visited the houses of Dalits when members of the community were beaten up.

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Another Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said that while they threw a leader who insulted the prime minister, the BJP and its leaders are continuing insulting Rahul Gandhi.

 

"The prime minister did not talk about Gujarat once in his speech. He just talked about China, Afghanistan, Babur and Aurangzeb, which is why his allies (referring to the Shiv Sena) are using such language. One of our leaders talked ill of the prime minister and we threw him out of the party (Mani Shankar Aiyar)," Surjewala said.

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Speaking about the recent suspension of Mani Shankar Aiyar, he added, "The Congress Party has taken a very firm stand. Mani Shankar Aiyar was asked to apologise; he apologised and was suspended. The prime minister will do great good to the country if he follows the same path."

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Congress condemns PM Modi's Gujarat rallies

 

Congress leader Anand Sharma on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign rallies in the wake of the Gujarat Assembly polls, adding he and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Amit Shah had lowered the dignity of their respective positions and political debates.

 

"Going by the prime minister's language and the allegations that he is hurling I can say that he is rattled. Defeat is scaring him and the BJP in the face. The prime minister himself has been responsible, so is his party president Amit Shah, for lowering the dignity of the debate," Sharma told ANI.

 

He added, "He is not talking about employment, development and economy. He is desperately seeking sympathy of the people through these actions and theatrical statements."

 

In the run-up to the Gujarat Assembly polls, the rebuttal between the two parties has been going back and forth, but became intense after Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'neech' remark.

For complete report, click HERE

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Gujarat's average growth rate has been more than 10% in the last 5 years, that is the highest in the world. This performance itself speaks for the 'Gujarat model of development': Arun Jaitley

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'Kaun Nizami?': Congress steers clear of Twitter diatribe

Congress leader Rajiv Shukla on Saturday responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on Salman Nizami and said that he didn't know any individual in the party by the name of Nizami.

 

Shukla's remark has come hours after, Prime Minister Modi, while addressing a public rally in Gujarat's Lunawada, took on Nizami, an alleged Youth Congress leader, over his tweet where he questioned the family background of the prime minister.

 

To this end, Shukla said, "Salman Nizami kaun hai, hum jaante hi nahin. (We don't even know who Salman Nizami is). He does not hold any position in the party. We can also say that there is some random person Ram Lal in BJP who said something."

 

"Kahin aap hi ka toh aadmi nahi hai (Is this a plant by you?)," he added.

To read the complete story, click HERE

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Congress candidate from Porbandar Arjun Modhwadia files complaint with EC over EVM malfunctioning

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PM Narendra Modi has moved away from the real issues and he is not talking about employment, development or economy, says Anand Sharma, senior Congress leader

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EVM engineer S Anand talks to media after visiting a polling booth in Porbandar's Thakkar plot following complaints of EVM being connected to Bluetooth, says, 'the name that you give to your Bluetooth device will be shown when it is paired to another device'

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Narendra Modi: Congress party is synonymous with corruption. Their corrupt practices will never be accepted in Gujarat