Exit and opinion polls on television channels at the end of voting in Gujarat today projected the BJP to perform a hat-trick in the state while the Congress is predicted to have an edge in BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh.

An estimated 68-69 per cent of 1.98 crore electors today cast their votes in the second and final phase of Gujarat polls that would decide whether chief minister Narendra Modi would do a hat-trick for BJP or Congress return to power in the state after a gap of 22 years.

An average 55 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm in the second phase of Gujarat Assembly elections today.

About 38 per cent average polling was recorded across 95 constituencies in Gujarat in the first five hours of the final phase of voting today, which will decide the fate of 820 candidates including chief minister Narendra Modi.

An average 38 per cent voting was recorded in the first five hours of polling across 87 seats in the first phase of Gujarat polls which will decide the fate of state political big-wigs like Keshubhai Patel, BJP's R C Faldu and Congress' Arjun Modhwadia.

The wife of slain former BJP minister Haren Pandya, Jagruti, on Thursday announced that she will contest polls from Ellis bridge constituency of the city on Gujarat Parivartan Party ticket to get "jus

Initial trends in counting of the votes polled indicate that the BJP is leading in most of the local bodies in the Gujarat panchayat and municipality elections.