The Gujarat Assembly polls are heading for a nail-biting finish, and the two big political parties in the fray – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress – have given everything but the kitchen sink to garner public support. In both phases of the elections, a total of 1,828 candidates will vie for seats in the Assembly, with 793 of them contesting as Independents.
Of the 793 candidates, 443 have already contested in the first phase on 9 December. The remaining 350 candidates’ fates will be sealed on Thursday, 14 December, when the final phase of polling is held.
With such a high number of Independents – and also considering the indecisiveness of the common Gujarati this election season – the major parties will try to sway these Independent candidates to their camp once the results are declared on 18 December.