Ahmedabad: While voting across 26 Lok Sabha seats and four assembly by-polls in Gujarat were conducted in a peaceful manner, the voter turn out in Valsad Lok Sabha constituency, which is considered as an ‘auspicious’ seat by political parties kept all political pundits guessing.
The Valsad Lok Sabha seat witnessed around 74.09 % voter turn out, the highest among the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat.
The tribal-dominated and Scheduled Tribe reserved Valsad Lok Sabha seat is considered strategically important for political parties. Electoral history reveals that whichever party has managed to win this seat has ultimately formed the government at the Centre.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Valsad witnessed 74.88 percent voter turn out and BJP had won it.
This time, BJP has repeated it's sitting Valsad MP Dr. K C Patel while Congress has fielded its Kaprada MLA Jitu Chaudhary.
In the 2017 assembly polls, out of the seven assembly seats which fall into Valsad Lok Sabha seat, BJP had won four seats while Congress had won three assembly seats.
Till 8 pm, Gujarat state has witnessed around 63 percent voter turn out. The final figure of voter turn out for the 2019 polls will be known tomorrow.
Valsad Lok Sabha seat consists of seven assembly constituencies which include Dangs, Vansda, Dharampur, Valsad, Pardi, Kaprada and Umargoan.
In 1962 general elections, voter turn out was 57.96 %, in 1967 (63.77 %), in 1971 (55.49 %), in 1977 (59.21 %), in 1980 (55.42 %), in 1984 (57.93 %), in 1989 (54.70 %), in 1991 (44.01 %), in 1996 (35.92 %), in 1998 (59.30 %), in 1999 (47.03 %), in 2004 (45.16 %), in 2009 (47. 89%) and in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, voter turn out was recorded 63.66 percent in Gujarat.
As per the official record, there were 22 Lok Sabha seats in 1962 elections while it increased to 24 seats in 1967. Since 1977 general elections, Gujarat has been sending 26 Member of Parliament.
Congress leaders claimed that they are hopeful that they would win this seat as rural voters from Congress dominated areas come out in large numbers. Congress leader claimed that Kaprada and Dangs witnessed around 80 percent voter turn out while Dharampur and Vansda recorded around 75 percent voter turn out. BJP is heavily banking on urban areas of Valsad, Pardi and Umargoan. These urban areas recorded below 70 percent voter turn out.
In fact, Congress President Rahul Gandhi had begun his poll campaign for Gujarat from this tribal-dominated and ‘auspicious’ Valsad seat on February 14.
Soon after the voting was over in Gujarat, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani claimed that the saffron party will win all 26 Lok Sabha seats and Narendra Modi will get second term as the Prime Minister.
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