NEW DELHI: The campaigning for the second and last phase of polling for the Assembly elections in Gujarat ended on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who led the campaign for the BJP in his home state, in a message to the Gujarati voters said, "People have seen the development in the last two decades and want this trajectory to continue."
The Prime Minister addressed more than 30 rallies in Gujarat where the second phase of polling will take place on December 5 for remaining 93 assembly seats and counting will take place on December 8, along with counting of votes for the Himachal Pradesh polls.
"Over the last few days, I’ve travelled across the length and breadth of Gujarat. Wherever I went, I received tremendous affection. People have seen the development in the last two decades and want this trajectory to continue," Mr Modi tweeted as the campaigning ended on Saturday.
While the ruling BJP's leadership, including Mr Modi, national party president J.P. Nadda, Union ministers and chief ministers of the BJP-ruled states sought votes for development, the Opposition camp, including the Congress leadership and Arvind Kejriwal's AAP, highlighted inflation and the soaring prices of essential commodities to seek votes for change.
Congress's newly elected president Mallikarjun Kharge and former president Rahul Gandhi also addressed election rallies. Mr Kejriwal led the AAP's campaign in the state where predictions suggest that the AAP will eat into Congress's vote bank and will make a minimal impact.
In all, 833 candidates are in the electoral fray across 93 constituencies that will go to the polls on December 5. The 93 constituencies where polling will be held on Monday are spread across 14 districts of north and central Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Gandhinagar.
Prominent candidates in the second phase include chief minister Bhupendra Patel from Ghatlodia, Patidar leader Hardik Patel from Viramgam and OBC leader Alpesh Thakor from Gandhinagar South. Both Mr Patel and Mr Thakor are contesting on the BJP ticket.
Though the BJP did not face any major issues in the run-up to the polls, the ruling party is facing a challenge from rebel candidates in some places in the second phase.
The first phase of voting for 89 seats in Saurashtra, Kutch and south Gujarat was held on December 1, with an average turnout of 63.31 per cent, lower than the last Assembly elections.
