Gujarat Assembly polls Phase 2: PM Modi's mother casts her vote in Gandhinagar

Prime minister Narendra Modi's mother, Heeraben Modi, cast her vote Monday at a polling booth in Raysan village (near Gandhinagar) during the second phase of polling for the 2022 Gujarat Assembly election. Heeraben - who turned 100 in June - reached the booth in a wheelchair with the help of family members, news agency PTI reported.

On Sunday evening, the prime minister had met his mother and sought her blessings ahead of today's voting, which is the second and final phase of polls.

Also read: Gujarat polls: Congress hopes to turn tide in BJP’s stronghold of Gandhinagar

Earlier today, prime minister Modi also cast his vote - at the Nishan Public School, which falls in the Sabarmati constituency. On his way to the booth, he greeted people who had assembled to see him exercise his franchise.

After casting his vote, PM Modi said, "The festival of democracy has been celebrated with great pomp by the people of Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. I want to thank the people of the country. I also want to congratulate the Election Commission for conducting elections peacefully."

In the morning, Modi had made an appeal to young voters and women voters to vote in large numbers as the polling in north and central regions for 93 Assembly seats out of the total 182 began at 8 am.

"There are also by-polls taking place in different parts of India. I urge those whose seats are witnessing these by-polls to turn out in large numbers and vote," he wrote on Twitter.

In another tweet, he wrote, “Urging all those who are voting in Phase 2 of the Gujarat elections, particularly the young voters and women voters to vote in large numbers. I will be casting my vote in Ahmedabad at around 9 AM.”