Young and old, brides & grooms... voters of various hues liven up festival of democracy in Gujarat

Rajkot/Ahmedabad: From first-time voters to centenarians, cricketers and even brides and grooms, Gujarat saw people of various hues coming out to exercise their franchise in the first phase of assembly polls on Saturday.

Voters from different sections of society queued up this morning outside the polling boots in 89 seats spread over south Gujarat and Saurashtra.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, contesting from Rajkot (West), was among the early voters in his constituency.

"I have cast my vote and would appeal to all voters to come out in large numbers and exercise their democratic right," said cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara as he emerged from a booth in Rajkot.

He was accompanied by his father Arvind Pujara.

115-year-old Ajiben Chandrwadia voted at a booth in Upleta town of Rajkot district. Another centenarian, a 104- year-old woman, exercised her franchise in Morbi district accompanied by her family members. A couple, decked in wedding attire, turned up at a polling booth in Bharuch to cast vote. Several members of a 'baarat' (wedding party), including the couple, came out to vote at Bhavnagar. The bridegroom and the bride, decked in wedding finery, said they wanted to first cast their votes before heading to the marriage venue.

"I am here to vote for development. We decided to first cast our votes before going for wedding," said the groom Bhavesh Rana.

A group of monks from the Swaminarayan sect voted at a polling booth in Gondal.

A daily wage labourer couple, who exercised their right at a booth in Gondal, Rajkot district, said they were sure that their vote went to the party they had chosen as they could see its symbol on the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machine attached to the EVM.

First time voters were seen lining up in front of booths in large numbers. Nidhi Savaliya, 19, cast her vote in Rajkot.

Besides Rupani, state BJP president Jitu Vaghani as well as candidates from both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress were among the first to vote in their respective polling booths.