Gujarat elections Phase 1: A look at key players, constituencies

The people of Gujarat is all set to vote for the first phase of the assembly elections on Thursday after the intense campaigning by all the political partiesThere has been a race among the political parties including Bharatiya Janata Party Congress and Aasm Aadmi Party for making poll promises as the fate of the political parties will be decided by over 2 crore voters today with 89 constituencies spread across 19 districts of Kutch Saurashtra and South Gujarat going up for pollingAccording to the Election Commission of India the voting will begin at 8 am and conclude at 5 pmA total of 39 political parties are contesting in the elections and have fielded 788 candidates including 718 male candidates and 70 women candidatesThe ruling BJP is exuding confidence in retaining the 27yearlong rule in the state while the Congress is desparate to save its second position in the state while Arvind Kejriwals AAP is making a gamble by trying to cash in on antiincumbency and issues like inflation and unemployment to get to powerAs the BJP looks to retain power and AAP aims to make inroads into yet another state a fierce battle is expected on various seats that will go to poll on Thursday morningAlso Read Gujarat elections 2022 In spicy Saurashtra battle no pehle AAPJamnagar North JamnagarThe first on the list is Jamnagar North where the battle is between BJPs Rivaba Jadeja cricketer Ravindra Jadejas wife Congress Bipendrasinh Jadeja and AAPs Karsan KarmurThe BJP dropped the sitting MLA Dharmendrasinh Merubha who won the seat by defeating Congress candidate Ahir Jivanbhai Karubhai Kumbharvadiya in the 2017 Assembly electionsThe seat came to the limelight after a political tussle between two members of the same family came to the fore with Rivaba who is making her electoral debut contesting from the BJP and her sisterinlaw and fatherinlaw campaigning for the Congress candidateMorbiThe second on the list is Morbi which became a talking point following the tragic incident recently in which a suspension bridge fell into the river claiming the lives of over 130 peopleThe BJP has fielded Kantilal Amrutiya who replaced sitting MLA and Cabinet Minister Brijesh Merja and he is up against Congress Jayantilal Jerajbhai Patel and AAPs Pankaj RansariyaThe Opposition parties during the campaign raised the issue of mismanagement in the Morbi incident trying to corner the government on the incidentHowever historically the BJP has won the Morbi Assembly seat in 1995 1998 2002 2007 and 2012 before Amrutiya lost to Merja who was in Congress in 2017 Merja had joined BJP later and won the bypolls from Morbi again The BJP has Merja with Amrutiya in 2022Khambalia Devbhoomi DwarkaThe seat becomes significant as the AAPs chief ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi is contesting from this seat where he is confronted by BJPs Mulu Ayar Bera and Congress Vikram MadamThe battle is expected to be triangular with a close contest between the BJP and AAP Congress is said to be strong as the party candidate Ahir Vikrambhai Arjanbhai Madam had won the seat in 2017 Congress has replaced its candidate in the 2022 electionsRajkot West RajkotRajkot West is the seat where Prime Minister Narendra Modi previously contested a bypoll in 2002 Former chief minister Vijay Rupani had also contested from the seat in the 2017 Assembly elections The BJP has given a ticket to twotime Deputy Mayor Darshita Shah who is up against AAPs Dinesh Joshi and Congresss MansukhbhaiThe seat is considered a bastion of the BJP which the party has not lost since 1985Rupani had won the seat by defeating Indranil Rajguru of INC with a margin of 53755 votes in the 2017 Assembly electionsDevbhoomi DwarkaPabubha Manek the BJP candidate who has not lost a single election in the last 32 years is up against Congress Malubhai Kandoria and AAP candidate Nakum Lakhmanbhai BoghabhaiManek had won the first three elections as an independent 1990 95 98 then joined the Congress and won the seat in 2002 Later he won the Assembly elections of 2007 2012 and 2017 on a BJP ticketIn the 2017 Gujarat Assembly polls Manek had won the seat by defeating Congress Ahir Meraman Markhi with a margin of 5739 votesTalala Gir SomnathThe BJP has fielded Bhagwan Barad from the seat who is contesting against AAPs Devendra Solanki and Congress Mansinh DodiyaBarad had won the seat in the 2017 Assembly polls He had resigned as the Congress MLA from Talala Gir Somnath district and had joined the BJP following which he was given a ticket from the same seat Barad is an influential leader of the Ahir community He won from the Talala constituency in 2007 and 2017Katargam SuratThe seat is all set to witness an interesting battle this time in which AAP has fielded its state president Gopal Italia who is considered to be an influential Patidar leader from the constituency He had played a key role in the Patidar quota agitation in 2015He will face off against Congress candidate Kaplesh Variya who belongs to the Prajapati community OBC and BJP candidate Vinodbhai Amrishbhai MordiyaPorbandarA tough battle is expected on the Porbandar seat where the BJP has fielded its sitting MLA and fourtime winner Babu Bokhiria once again He is pitted against Congress candidate Arjun Modhwadia and AAPs Jeevan JungiBokhiria had won the seat in 1995 1998 2012 and 2017 In 2002 and 2007 Bokhiria was defeated by his archrival and former Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhwadia Both are facetoface this time tooKutiyana PorbandarKandhalbhai Jadeja son of late don Santokben Sarmanbhai Jadeja is contesting on the Samajwadi Party ticket He had won the 2017 Assembly elections on the NCP ticket however quit the party recently after he was denied a ticket He is pitted against BJPs Dheliben Odedra AAPs Bhimabhai Makvana and Congress Nathabhai OdedraThe voting in Gujarat will take place on December 1 and 5 and the counting of votes will be held on December 8