68% Voter Turnout In Phase 1 Of Gujarat Polls, Lower Than 2012

Gujarat recorded around 68 per cent voter turnout on Saturday in the first phase of assembly elections across 89 constituencies in Kutch, Saurashtra and south Gujarat. The figure is lower than last time, when 71.3 per cent polling took place, the Election Commission said. There were some reports of electronic voting machines or EVMs malfunctioning and the Election Commission said faulty machines found in 7-8 booths were fixed or replaced by 11 am. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has dismissed the Congress allegations of "a conspiracy," saying the opposition party is staring at defeat as "voters have made up their minds months in advance".