Gujarat Election 2022: CEC Rajiv Kumar's appeal to 4.9 crore voters

In his video message, CEC Rajiv Kumar said, "Today, Gujarat is celebrating the festival of democracy. My earnest appeal to all 4.9 crore Gujarat voters to vote today and on December 5 during the second phase of elections on behalf of the EC. There are about 4 lakh PwD voters in Gujarat and 9.8 lakh senior citizen voters

The Election Commission of India, minutes before the voting began, shared a video message by the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, urging the people of Gujarat to vote on Thursday. The first phase of the Gujarat Assembly Elections began at 8:00 am today and will continue until 5:00 pm.

In his video message, CEC Rajiv Kumar said, "Today Gujarat is celebrating the festival of democracy. My earnest appeal to 4.9 crores Gujarat voters to vote today and on December 5 during the second phase of elections on behalf of the EC. There are about 4 lakh PwD voters in Gujarat and 9.8 lakh senior citizen voters." 

"We're making accommodations for everyone. It's an opportunity to provide equity and equality while showing respect for them. The participation of nearly 10,000 centenarians and PwD voters should motivate all of us, especially our youthful voters. PwD employees handle around 182 polling sites," he continued.

"Similarly, only female election workers will be present at the 1274 polling places. 4.77 lakh first-time voters would cast their vote in this election, with over 3.3 lakh young voters added as a result of recent electoral reforms," Kumar added. 

Furthermore, he said, "For the first time, 33 voting stations will be overseen by youth polling parties to engage and inspire young voters. These are poll workers who were recently appointed."

In the first phase of Gujarat elections on Thursday, 89 Assembly constituencies from 19 districts in south Gujarat and the Kutch-Saurashtra region will vote.

Gujarat, dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the last 27 years, will see an interesting triangular battle between the incumbent BJP, the Opposition Congress, and the newcomer Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Seven hundred eighty-eight people are contesting for the 89 Assembly seats, including 718 males and 70 women. In the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections, 89 candidates from the BJP and Congress, and 88 from the AAP, are contesting.

The second round of voting will be held on December 5, with the results being announced on December 8. The second phase of voting for 93 of Gujarat's 182 assembly seats will take place on December 5.