The much-awaited process of filing nominations has been put into motion by the election commission for the first phase of Gujarat elections to be held on December 9.

 The nomination filing will close on November 21. However, since the main parties are yet to declared their candidates, the paper filing will pick up in the days to come. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress are expected to release their candidate list by November 18.

The Election Commission will scrutinise the nomination papers on November 22 and the candidates will have time until November 24 to withdraw their candidature.

The first phase of polling on December 9, will see the votes being cast for 89 seats in the Saurashtra-Kutch and North Gujarat regions for the assembly seats in Morbi (3), Rajkot (8), Jamnagar (5), Kutch (6), Porbandar (2), Surendranagar (5), Junagadh (5), Gir Somnath (4), Amreli (5), Bhavnagar (7), Botad (2), Narmada (2), Bharuch (5), Surat (16), Devbhoomi Dwarka (2), Tapi (2), Dang (1), Navsari (4) and Valsad (5) districts.

The first phase of Gujarat elections will cover the regions of Saurashtra and South Gujarat which are considered to be crucial for both the BJP and the Congress. The regions dominated by Patidar community may see an anti-government vote against Chief Minister Vijay Rupani-led BJP government in the state.

The phase will decide the fate of candidates on 89 assembly seats spread over 19 districts and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to tour the region extensively from 20th November.

The Congress party too is putting in  efforts to keep up the tempo that it has been able to build with a series of associations with Patidar, Dalit and OBC leaders. The Congress Vice President, Rahul Gandhi, is touring the state extensively and on the final day of his 3-day Navsarjan Yatra, he paid obeisance at the Megh-Maaya temple in Surat, in the same way as he started this part of the yatra from Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar.

Voting for the second phase will happen on December 14 and the counting of votes would take place on December 18. In the second phase, 93 seats will go for polls in the assembly seats of Banaskantha (9), Mehsana (7), Anand (7), Sabarkantha (4), Aravalli (3), Gandhinagar (5), Kheda (6), Mahisagar (3), Panchmahal (5), Patan (4), Dahod (6), Vadodara (10) and Chhota Udaipur (3), and Ahmedabad (21).