Rajkot (West) Assembly bypoll: 36% turnout till 3.30 PM

After a slow start in the early hours, polling picked up with about 36 per cent voter turnout reported till 3.30 PM in Rajkot (West) Assembly seat, where bye-election is being held today.
"In Rajkot (West) Assembly seat bypolls, 36 per cent vote turnout has been recorded during the first 8 hours (till 3.30 PM)," Returning Officer B R Chaudhary said.
The seat, once represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had then entered Gujarat politics, fell vacant following the resignation of sitting MLA Vaju Vala after he was appointed Governor of Karnataka. The constituency has been BJP's pocket-borough since 1990.

Modi had contested from Rajkot (West), his first Assembly election, in 2001 and won. Vala had vacated the seat for Modi, who went on to become Chief Minister.
Vala today cast his vote at a polling booth in a community hall here. BJP candidate Vijay Rupani exercised his franchise at a school in Jivannagar area. His Congress opponent Jayanti Kalariya cast his vote in a booth in Panchvati Housing Society premises.
Counting of votes would be held on October 19.