PM Modi’s 97-Yr-Old Mother Heeraben Casts Vote
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben cast her vote at a poll booth at the Aryabhatt High School in Gandhinagar on 14 December.
The 97-year-old was accompanied by her younger son, Pankaj Modi, and other family members.
After casting her vote, she held up her inked finger for the photographers outside the poll booth. She told reporters:
God bless Gujarat.
She was among the early voters. Former chief minister Anandiben Patel, who is not contesting the election, cast her vote at a polling booth in Ahmedabad's Ghatlodia Assembly constituency, from where she was an MLA.
I am sure that BJP will achieve the target it has set for itself and the party will again form the government. Our candidate will get more votes than what I had got, and the Patidar factor is not going to affect us.Anandiben Patel, Former Gujarat Chief Minister
This time, the BJP has fielded Bhupendra Patel from the seat. He has been pitted against Congress' Shashikant Patel.
The voting for the second and final phase of Gujarat assembly elections is underway today on 93 seats of North and Central Gujarat. Follow live updates on The Quint.
After an acrimonious campaign, around 2.22 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise on 14 December to choose between the two main contenders, the BJP and the Congress.
A total of 851 candidates are in fray for the second phase.The first phase of voting for the 182-member House, held on 9 December, covered 89 seats.
The election is being seen as a "prestige battle" for Prime Minister Modi and a litmus test for the leadership of Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi.
In the 2012 assembly polls, the BJP had won 115 seats, while the Congress bagged 61. The counting of votes will be taken up on 18 December.
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