Counting of votes began 24 of the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, Gujarat, began at 8 am on Tuesday amid tight three-tier security.
Due to the rejection of the Congress candidate’s nomination and withdrawal of other candidates, the BJP candidate for the Surat Lok Sabha seat was declared unopposed on April 22.
The vote counting for Assembly by-elections is also taking place.
The counting is supervised by 56 counting observers, 30 election officers, and 175 assistant election officers, with 615 additional assistant election officers handling postal ballots and ETPBS. Anand has two counting centres, while other constituencies have one each.
The centres are secured with local police, SRPF, and CAPF. Only authorised personnel are allowed entry. The centres are equipped with modern communication facilities, including computers, internet, telephones, and fax machines.
An estimated average voter turnout of 60.13% was recorded across Gujarat’s 25 Lok Sabha seats on May 7. The highest turnout was in Valsad at 72.71%, while the lowest was in Amreli at 50.29%.
Other constituencies had varying turnout percentages, such as Ahmedabad West (55.45%), Ahmedabad East (54.72%), and Vadodara (61.59%).
In the Assembly by-elections, Vijapur recorded a 64.93% turnout, Khambhat 66.28%, Porbandar 57.99%, Waghodia 70.29%, and Manavadar 53.94%.
In the 2019 and 2014 elections, the BJP won all 26 seats in Gujarat, whereas in 2009, the BJP won 14 seats and Congress 12.
