Gujarat Rajya Sabha polls : NCP MLA votes for Ahmed Patel

Polling for the crucial Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat began on Tuesday to decide the fate of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel and that of BJP chief Amit Shah and Union minister Smriti Irani.

Patel remains confident of victory, saying on Monday that the “numbers will be surprising” when the results are declared.

Gujarat has three vacancies and the ruling BJP has fielded party chief Amit Shah, Union minister Smriti Irani and Congress turncoat Balwantsinh Rajput. Of them, two are set to win, given the BJP’s strength of 122 lawmakers in the assembly.

For the third seat, Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Patel is up against Rajpu