25 pc polling till noon in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: Nearly 25 per cent voter turnout was reported in 26 Lok Sabha seats of Gujarat till noon, as people braved the rising mercury to come out and exercise their democratic right.

There were also complaints of technical glitches in the electronic voting machines (EVMS) at some booths, an election official said.

Till noon, an average 24.93 per cent polling was recorded in the state, he said.

Despite the soaring temperature, long queues were seen outside several booths in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi



and BJP president Amit Shah, who is contesting the election from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, were among the early ones to cast their votes in Gujarat.

State additional chief electoral officer Ashok Manek said some EVMs were replaced after complaints of technical problems.

"The EVM machines malfunctioned in some parts of the state. We quickly replaced them and the voting process was not affected," he said.

A detailed report on faulty EVMs will be released after the polling ends in the evening, he added.