Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi cast his vote in Navsari
May 07, 2024
Surat (Gujarat) [India], May 7 : Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi cast his vote at a polling booth in Navsari Lok Sabha constituency of Surat, Gujarat on Tuesday morning.
He was among the first to cast his ballot, setting the tone for the third phase of the Lok Sabha Elections.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded its state unit chief CR Patil from Navsari seat and the Indian National Congress (INC) has fielded Naishadh Desai.
Arriving at the voting booth accompanied by the beats of drums, Sanghavi encouraged fellow citizens to actively participate in the democratic process. "Only when we step out of the house will the public come out after seeing us," he remarked.
While talking to ANI Sanghavi Said, "I am fortunate enough to get the opportunity to cast my vote along with my family. I want to request everyone to come out and cast their votes and form a development-oriented government once again. PM Modi has served the people of the country without taking a single leave for the last several years. The people of the country are willing to see Narendra Modi become the Prime Minister of the country for the third time."
Mukesh Dalal, the BJP candidate was earlier announced as the uncontested victor from Surat.
The election officer on April 22 cancelled the nomination papers of the Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani from the Surat Lok Sabha constituency over alleged "fake signatures of people who signed as witnesses."
While cancelling the nomination, the Collector wrote in the order that the signatures of the people who have signed as witnesses in the nomination form of Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani and his dummy candidate Suresh Padshala are fake.
Following this, BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal was elected 'unopposed' from the Surat Lok Sabha constituency after all other candidates in the fray including independents and candidates from smaller parties also withdrew their nomination papers on the last day.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast his vote at Nishan Higher Secondary School in Ahmedabad, Gujarat for the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
The Prime Minister was welcomed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah when he arrived at Nishan Higher Secondary School.
In between, PM Modi also clicked a picture with a young girl outside his polling booth at Nishan Higher Secondary School in Ahmedabad.
Polling begins across 25 constituencies in Gujarat during the third phase of Lok Sabha Elections today, starting at 7 am.
In the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections, voting is being held across 94 constituencies, covering 10 states and one Union Territory.
All 26 constituencies will vote in Gujarat today - Kachchh, Banaskantha, Patan, Mahesana, Sabarkantha, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad East, Ahmedabad West, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Anand, Kheda, Panchmahal, Dahod, Vadodara, Chhota Udaipur, Bharuch, Bardoli, Navsari and Valsad.
In the 2019 general election, the BJP won 72 of the 93 seats that go to the polls today.
Polling for more than half of the total number of constituencies will be completed by the end of this phase.
The Lok Sabha elections are being held across seven phases, from April 19 to June 1. The counting is scheduled for June 4.
The Narendra Modi-led BJP is seeking a third term in power, while the opposition INDIA bloc is aiming to wrest power by stopping the juggernaut.