Gujarat RS polls: Amit Shah, Smriti Irani, Ahmed Patel in fray today

In Gujarat, the voting for the crucial Rajya Sabha elections on three seats would be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.

The counting will be held at 5 p.m., an hour after the end of polling.

Gujarat Assembly Secretary D M Patel, who is also the returning officer for the Rajya Sabha election said that after the resignation of six Congress MLAs, there are total 176 MLAs eligible to vote.

The election has been necessitated following the completion of the tenures of three existing members union minister Smriti Irani and Dilip Pandya of BJP and Ahmed Patel of Congress.

Meanwhile, the win of two of the 3 BJP candidates party president Amit Shah and Smriti Irani was almost certain, while the fate of the third party candidate Balwantsinh Rajput who joined BJP after resigning from Congress was hanging in balance along with the sole Congress candidate Ahmed Patel.

Congress needs the support of 45 MLAs for the victory of Patel who is contesting for his fifth term for the upper house.

In 182 member assembly, BJP has 122 seats including dissident Nalin Kotadiya.

While Congress has 51 MLAs along with 7 of Shankarinh Vaghela's camp. NCP has 2 and JD U has 1 MLA in the house.

-ANI