Ahmedabad: Voting ended for the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections at 5 pm on Thursday. A 57 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm in the first phase of the ongoing Assembly elections while the final polling figures are awaited.

Barring a few minor incidents, the polling process remained largely peaceful. At some polling stations, minor technical glitches were reported in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Congress submitted a complaint to Election Commission saying that EVMs were not working in at least 50 polling booths in the Saurashtra region. The party leader Alok Sharma filed a second complaint with the Election Commission and said some TV channels were playing the sound bites of BJP leaders so as to influence voters.

Earlier on Wednesday night, BJP candidate from Vansda, Piyush Patel was allegedly attacked by some unidentified persons, ANI reported. DSP Navsari SK Rai said that a case has been registered at the Vansda police station.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun a mega roadshow ahead of the second phase of Gujarat Assembly elections on December 5. The rally started from Narodam Gam and will end at Gandhinagar South constituency.

Addressing a poll rally in Panchmahal, Modi said there is a competition among Congress leaders as to who will use the most abusive words against him. He was referring to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s recent ‘Ravan’ jibe at him. The Gujarat Assembly and Himachal Pradesh Assembly election results will be declared on December 8.

कांग्रेस के मित्र कान खोल कर सुन लें, आपकी लोकतंत्र में आस्था और अविश्वास आपका विषय है, परिवार के लिए जीना है तो आपकी मर्जी, लेकिन एक बात लिख लीजिए, जितना कीचड़ उछालोगे, उतना कमल खिलेगा।

- पीएम @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/5rwKTQHiU2
— BJP (@BJP4India) December 1, 2022