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Gujarat is all set to vote tomorrow where Lok Sabha elections will be held in single phase on all the 26 seats amidst elaborate arrangements by the Election Commission to hold free, fair and transparent polls.
Those in the fray in the state include Chief Minister and BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi (from Vadodara) and veteran BJP leader L K Advani (Gandhinagar).
Congress leader Madhusudan Mistry is challenging Modi in Vadodara, while senior leader Shankarsinh Vaghela is contesting from Sabarkantha.
AAP, striving to emerge as the third alternative in the state, has fielded candidates in 24 constituencies.
"The Election Commission of India has made elaborate arrangements to conduct polls in free, fair and transparent manner in Gujarat," state chief electoral officer Anita Karwal said.
She requested the people to come out to vote in large numbers without any fear as every vote is valuable.
"Election Commission of India (ECI) has increased the polling time by two hours keeping in mind the prevailing heat in this month of summer," she said.
Unfortunately, extreme heat conditions have gripped the state with maximum temperatures touching 45 degrees Celsius in some areas while it is above 43 degrees in many other parts of the state.
Weather forecasters have warned that the extreme heat conditions will continue for tomorrow, the voting day.
More than 4.05 crore electors (2.12 crore male and 1.93 crore female) will decide the fate of 334 candidates who are in fray for 26 seats of the state, where the main fight is between the Congress and the BJP.
"Out of the total 45,380 polling booths at 27,369 locations, the ECI has identified 23 per cent polling booths and 21 per cent locations as vulnerable and critical," Karwal said.
"Elaborate security arrangements have been made at such polling booths and locations to generate an atmosphere of security among the voters so that they can come out in large number and vote," she said.
The Election Commission said that more than 1 lakh police personnel and other para-military persons have been put on duty for conducting the massive exercise of polling.
A hectic campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections had ended yesterday with BJP aiming for a clean sweep banking on the Modi factor and Congress fighting back to deny it a walk-over.
