Third phase of LS polls: Senior leaders vote in Gujarat

High-profile politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, cast their votes on Tuesday as polling began for 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat.

Gujarat, which has an electorate of 4.51 crore, votes in a single phase. There are 51,851 voting centres.

In the last Lok Sabha elections of 2014, the ruling BJP won all the 26 seats.

Modi cast his vote at the Nishan High School in Ranip area of Ahmedabad. He reached Gujarat on Monday night. His 98-year-old mother Hiraben, who stays with her younger son in Raisan near state capital Gandhinagar, will also exercise her franchise at a nearby polling booth.

Modi was accompanied to the polling booth by national BJP president Amit Shah, who is contesting from Gandhinagar. Shah cast his vote at Naranpura sub-zonal office in Ahmedabad. BJP patriarch L.K. Advani, who had represented Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, will cast his vote from a polling booth in the heart of Ahmedabad at 12.30pm.

Modi cuddled Shah's granddaughter before going to vote. Before reaching the polling centre, he called on his mother at her residence. As a blessing, she gave him Goddess Ambe's chunri, a coconut and Rs 501.

Anandiben voted in Shilaj area of Ahmedabad.

Union Minister Arun Jaitley will also vote from Gujarat.

Apart from these BJP leaders, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala will vote from Rajkot.

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel will also vote in the state.

Apart from Shah, candidates to watch out for from Gujarat are Tushar Chaudhary and Bharatsinh Solanki (both former Union ministers and contesting from Congress tickets) and opposition leader in the state assembly Paresh Dhanani.