PM Modi's mother casts vote in Ahmedabad

Heeraben Modi, mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cast her vote at a polling station in Raisan area here on Tuesday.

The nonagenarian arrived at the polling booth in a car and was assisted by people inside the booth's premises.

Polling in Gujarat began at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm, as part of the third phase of Lok Sabha elections that is currently underway.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Modi cast his vote at a polling booth in Nishan Higher Secondary School in Ranip area in Ahmedabad. BJP president Amit Shah, who is the Lok Sabha candidate from the city was also present.

Urging the people to exercise their franchise in huge numbers, Prime Minister Modi said that the voter identity card of a person is more powerful than an improvised explosive device (IED) used by terrorists.

"The weapon of terrorism is IED and the strength of democracy is voter ID. I can say with surety that the voter ID is much much more powerful than an IED, so we should understand the strength of our voter IDs. I urge all to vote in huge numbers," the Prime Minister told reporters after casting his vote.

Prime Minister Modi took a ride in an open SUV this morning as he made his way to cast his vote in the third phase of the national election. Surrounded by his bodyguards, the Prime Minister waved to a long line of people who waved back at him.

After voting, he walked in a procession on the streets of Ahmedabad.

All 26 constituencies in Gujarat, all 20 seats in Kerala, 14 each in Maharashtra and Karnataka, 10 in Uttar Pradesh, seven in Chhattisgarh, six in Odisha, five each in Bihar and West Bengal, four in Assam, two in Goa, one each in Jammu and Kashmir, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Tripura are witnessing polling in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

In Gujarat, 371 candidates are in the fray for 26 Lok Sabha seats, while 45 candidates are in the fray for by-poll in four Assembly seats.

Counting of votes will take place on May 23.