Bypolls in Gujarat remained lacklustre in absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as voter’s turnout was less than 50 per cent. Destiny of as many as 45 candidates for nine Assembly segments and four for Vadodara lok Sabha constituency, who are in the fray, will be decided on Tuesday, September 16.
However, polling completed peacefully for by-election of nine Assembly segments and Vadodara lok Sabha constituency on Saturday. There was no instance of violence in the poll-bound 10 seats. On an average 49.19 per cent voting was registered in the State. The administration attributed the low voting in the state to flood situation in various parts of Gujarat, especially in Vadodara and Central Gujarat.
Interestingly two previous constituencies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi witness very low voting. Voters in Maninagar assembly seat, from where Modi won three consecutive elections in 2002, 2007 and 2012, responded poorly as only 33.05 per cent voting registered. Same was the case with flood hit Vadodara lok Sabha constituency, where the voting was hardly over 43 per cent.
Modi was elected from Vadodara by a margin of 5.70 lakh votes in the May Parliamentary elections but resigned in favour of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Both Vadodara and Maninagar constituencies had registered more than 70 per cent voting in the 2014 parliamentary and 2012 state Assembly elections respectively and gave overwhelming support to Modi.
Voting in other assembly seats were — Matar 53 per cent, limkheda 64.01 per cent, Anand 57 per cent, Jam Khambhalia 55.50 per cent, Mangrol 59 per cent, Talaja 49.59 per cent, Tankara 60.09 and Deesa 59.76 per cent.