Gujarat voted on Thursday to seal the fate of the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani, three Union ministers, and 359 others in the fray. However, the searing heat contained the turnout at 49 per cent, slightly better than the 2004 Lok Sabha polls. The polling was peaceful, except for lone adjournment in a polling station in Mehsana and a stray incident in Panchmahals.

Voters in most parts showed higher turnout in the early morning, including Advani, Arun Jaitley, Ahmed Patel, Dinsha Patel, Naran Rathwas and Shankersinh Vaghela. As the mercury soared, the voting slowed down. There was a higher turnout from both the Muslim- and Dalit-dominated areas.

Advani’s constituency Gandhinagar polled considerably higher, 47-48 per cent, as compared to 39 per cent in 2004. While the constituency is his pocketborough, it is the first time he was in the race as a prime ministerial contender.

Compared to the rest of the state and even the voting percentages in 2004, the tribal-dominated regions registered a higher voter turnout, including regions like Sabarkantha and Panchmahals.

Ahmedabad: Even though the poll percentage in Gujarat was reported to be just 1 per cent above the 2004 figures, Muslims are reported to have turned out in much larger numbers. A leader of the All India Milli Council (AIMC) based at Vadodara, Munir Khairuwala, put the Muslim turnout there and in nearby areas at more than 60 per cent. In 2004, these areas had barely touched 30 per cent, with one Muslim pocket in Vadodara, Tandalja, seeing only 7 per cent voting. In Gujarat’s biggest Muslim pocket, Juhapura, poll percentage touched 43 per cent in parts. In fact, the Muslim turnout in Gujarat has been low since 1991, owing to reported indifference of Congress leaders. The Congress attempted to change it this time, and this may have made the difference. Muslim organisations also held meetings in different towns of Gujarat, urging the community to vote.

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