Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast his vote in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad during the third of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday and appealing to voters to exercise their adult franchise and celebrate the festival of democracy.
Showing his inked finger after voting at a polling booth in Ahmedabad’s Nishan Higher Secondary School, the Prime Minister said, “Today is the third phase of voting. There is great importance of ‘Daan‘ in our country and in the same spirit, the countrymen should vote as much as possible. 4 rounds of voting are still ahead.”
He said that as a voter from the state of Gujarat, “this is the only place where I vote regularly and Amit Bhai is contesting from here as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate…”
Taking to microblogging site X, the Prime Minister said, “Voted in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections! Urging everyone to do so as well and strengthen our democracy.”
PM Modi hailed the nation’s election process and said that this “election management is an example for the world’s democracies to learn from”. He pressed on the need for the world’s biggest universities to do a case study on India’s elections.
Noting that elections will take place in around 64 countries, the Prime Minister said that there should be a comparison of all them. “This year is like a celebration of democracy… I again tell the countrymen to vote in large numbers and celebrate the festival of democracy,” PM Modi added.
The Prime Minister extended his greetings to the Election Commission and congratulated the poll governing body for “conducting the first two phases of elections almost violence-free”.
“I congratulate the Election Commission for conducting the first two phases of elections almost violence-free. I also congratulate the Election Commission for conducting the polls in a voter-friendly manner,” he said.
Not only this, the Prime Minister also interacted with the public who had gathered outside the polling booth to catch a glimpse of the leader. He signed memorabilia, posters and sketches. He warmly shook hands with the people in the crowd and snapped selfies with them.
In a light-hearted moment, he also played with a child, taking it in his arms and interacting with the it.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is contesting from Gandhinagar, a parliamentary constituency which has been a BJP bastion since 1989. The constituency went to the saffron camp and Shankersinh Vaghela in 1989 and has never voted for any other party since.
All seven Assembly segments in Gandhinagar LS constituency are held by the BJP. Not only is the seat represented in Parliament by Amit Shah, current Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel represents the Ghatlodia assembly constituency, which is also part of this LS seat.
Shah is highly popular, and unlike his predecessor, a highly visible MP. Ground reports suggest that voters have noted his active presence and interventions. There is hardly any month or festival where Shah has not come to his constituency and not inaugurated an event or laid the foundation stone for some project.
Voting is underway in 94 constituencies across 10 states and 1 Union territory in the third phase of the 18th Lok Sabha elections. The first two phases of the polls saw a voter turnout of 66.14 per cent in Phase 1 (April 19) and 66.71 per cent in Phase 2 (April 26).
Notably, polling in Anantnag-Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir was earlier scheduled for Phase 3, however, it has been moved to Phase 6. Polling in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul which was previously scheduled in Phase 2 is now voting in Phase 3.
