Phase I peaceful, 60 pc turnout recorded

Navsari district reported the highest polling, ranging between 64 and 66 per cent. It was followed by Surendranagar and Junagadh where voting between 62 per cent and 64 per cent were recorded. State Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Babbar said, according to initial reports from the district election officers, above 50 per cent polling was recorded in all the 14 districts.

A few complaints of booth capturing and one isolated incident of poll boycott were recorded. Babbar said the local people in Dwarka constituency of Jamnagar district abstained from voting at three booths to protest against the State Education Department for not sanctioning a high school in the area. In another incident, a presiding officer in Choryasi constituency in Surat was replaced for allowing two polling agents of a political party in one booth. In the same constituency from where BJP Minister for Water Resources Narottam Patel is seeking re-election, a case of violation of code of conduct was registered against two rival nominees for distributing voting slips with their respective party symbols on them.

One incident of a minor scuffle between supporters of rival candidates was reported from Rajkot. The EC said FIRs have been lodged against 10 candidates under the Representation Of People’s Act for canvassing within 200 meters of the polling area during voting and one person was arrested for possession election photo identity cards of 16 voters. The state Chief Electoral Officer’s office received a complaint from senior Congress leader Arvind Sanghvi who alleged booth capturing at 10 places in Dharngadhra constituency from where Urban Development Minister I K Jadeja is contesting the election. The Congress has also complained to the EC about booth capturing at 15 pollling stations in Jhagadhia where JD(U) candidate Chhotu Vasava is seeking re-election.

At least 30 EVMs, most of them in Kutch, were reported to have developed some technical snag in different constituencies during the polling, Babbar said, adding that the machines were repaired within 15 minutes.