Gujarat elections 2017, Know your constituency: Palitana

The constituency has 240 polling stations.

AHMEDABAD: The Palitana constituency in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district has recorded 15% polling till 11 am in the first phase of assembly polls on Saturday. 

The polls are being in two phases on December 9 and 14, setting the stage for a high-stakes battle between the ruling BJP and the Congress.

Palitana is one of the 182 assembly constituencies in the state.

A total of 240 polling stations were set up for the election process.

In 2012 assembly polls, Congress candidate Pravinbhai Jinabhai Rathod won the seat with 69396 votes. However, in 2007 assembly election, the seat went to BJP candidate Sarvaiya Mahendrasinh Parakramsinh. He had won the polls by a margin of 50,939 votes.

The first phase will be held in 89 of the 182 seats and will cover 19 of 33 districts. The notification for the second phase will be issued on November 20 for the remaining 93 assembly seats in 14 districts.

The votes will be counted on December 18, the same day as Himachal Pradesh, where the elections were held on November 9.

A total of 50.25 lakh electorate, including 19 lakh women and 14 transgenders, will decide the fate of candidates. The poll process in the state started on November 14 with the issue of the gazette notification for the first phase.