Battleground Gujarat: On a campaign trail

Two young BJP supporters wear masks of Gujarat state Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, and show victory signs as they participate in a BJP workers meeting in Ahmedabad on November 30. A total of 3.80 crore voters, constituting 62 per cent of the total population of the state, are going to decide the fate of 1,666 candidates in the two phase elections of the state assembly.

The maximum number of voters are in the age group of 20-29 years and interestingly there are 4.25 lakh voters in the state who are 80 years and above. In this picture, a young BJP supporter holds a placard saying BJP's Target 150, meaning that BJP is aiming at 150 seats out of 183 in the forthcoming Gujarat elections as they participate in a BJP workers meeting in Ahmedabad on November, 2012.

Incumbent Chief Minister Narendra Modi is looking for a record third term in office. He will be contesting from Maninagar, a BJP-dominated constituency which has seen Mr Modi winning for the last two times.

Narendra Modi's chances for a third term got a major boost after a top Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Narhari Amin joined hands, only days before the elections. Mr Amin had quit after the party denied him a ticket to contest the elections in keeping with its decision not to nominate those who have lost two elections in a row.

Area wise Abdasa in Kutch is the largest Assembly constituency with 6,278 square kilometres and electorate wise largest Assembly constituency is Kamrej in Surat with 3,04,621 voters and smallest is Karanj with 1,44,161 voters.

Limbayat is the seat where maximum 20 candidates are in fray and at Fatepura in Dahod only 3 candidates are contesting. In this photo supporters of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi are seen displaying his pictures during an election campaign rally at Sanand, near Ahmadabad.

There are 16 Assembly constituencies in the state where more than one woman candidate is contesting and on Limbayat seat in Surat, four women candidates are in the fray, out of total 95 women contestants in the state. In this picture a supporter of Mr Modi poses with clay figurines of the politician called 'Icon Tops' in Ahmedabad. The models were released by Ahmedabad based 'Gujarat Gaurav Fan Club', ahead of the state assembly elections.

The Election Commission has declared 17,029 polling booths as critical and vulnerable in the state, where authorities have decided to carry live web casting of polling. In this picture a personnel from Sashastra Seema Bal keeps vigil outside Congress House prior to the arrival of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Gujarat Congress President, Arjun Modwadia to release the Gujarat Election Manifesto in Ahmedabad on December 4, 2012.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi called the Narendra Modi government "anti-people" and alleged that it is involved in "wrong-doings" on December 10 while on a campaign trail in Siddhpur in north Gujarat.

Sonia Gandhi waves at supporters gathered at a Congress rally in Mandvi in south Gujarat on December 7. Mrs Gandhi campaigned in areas that will vote in the first phase of the assembly elections on December 13. This is the same region where she had made her infamous "maut ka saudagar" statement in the run-up to the 2007 assembly polls, giving Mr Modi a huge emotive edge.

The Congress President reaches through a fence to greet well-wishers during an election campaign rally at Godsamba near Mandvi. She has neatly side-stepped Narendra Modi's best attempts to provoke her into a direct war of words on various issues so far.

Clothes dry above posters of Congress President, Sonia Gandhi and Mahatma Gandhi at the back of Congress House where Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Gujarat Congress President, Arjun Modwadia released the Gujarat Election Manifesto with a series of promises, including free laptops and tablets to students.

Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi is garlanded by party workers on his arrival for a campaign rally for the upcoming Gujarat assembly elections in Sanand. For his first show in Gujarat for the assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi chose a triple rally on the last day of campaigning for the first phase of polling.