Lok Sabha elections 2019: Both parties forecast sure wins

The election commission’s ‘mike gag’ took over at 6pm on Sunday. The toggle switch on high decibel campaigns has been lowered. Wannabe MPs and those seeking another term broke off from shouting slogans and swallowing dust, heat and sweat. Some are nursing their sore throats, while some are getting medical attention. But on both ends — the BJP and

Congress candidates

are claiming sure wins for themselves. Vijay Rupani suffered a sunstroke on Friday and is out of poll action. BJP’s Ahmedabad West candidate Kirit Solanki realized on the third day of campaigning that he will lose his voice. “I avoided cold drinks and ice creams and took to ayurvedic supplements and revived.”


On the other hand, Gandhinagar Congress candidate C J Chavda suffered a sore throat. His supporters claimed that Chavda has been advised complete rest. Congress’s Amreli candidate Paresh Dhanani said that he was narrowly saved from a sunstroke. “A few days later I suffered a sore throat,” says Dhanani. His colleague Lalit Vasoya too reported back to party headquarters that he had a bad throat.

BJP’s Mansukh Mandaviya claimed that he attended more than 50 sabhas and ensured that he carried his own warm water.

State BJP President Jitu Vaghani claimed that, “BJP has defeated Congress in the campaign even before voting. PM Narendrabhai and President Amitbhai’s aggressive campaign has dampened Congress propaganda. Voters will choose Narendrabhai on all 26 seats.”

Rajiv Satav,

Gujarat

Congress incharge, and Amit Chavda, state Congress president in a statement said, “BJP’s campaign has failed miserably to convince voters. Congress is committed to farmers, MSME, traders and the poor. We appeal to voters to vote for the real issues instead non-issues.”

While politicians were unwinding after a hard campaign, the chief electoral officer (CEO) Gujarat, Dr S Murali Krishna, issued an advisory for political parties and candidates — detailing conduct expected of them for the next 48 hours till voting on Tuesday.