Congress loses sole Gujarat bypoll, down to 11 in state Assembly of 182

Gujarat BJP main CR Paatil thanked voters for handing a “grand victory” some successful Vav and successful the Maharashtra Assembly elections. “Even successful the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress MLA (Geniben) had got little votes successful the Vav Assembly segment,” helium said.

With the nonaccomplishment of Vav seat, the Congress, which won lone 17 seats retired of 182 successful the 2022 Assembly elections, is down to 11. The BJP’s fig has gone up to 162 from 156, with 5 Congress MLAs switching sides of which 4 aboriginal won successful the bypolls.

This besides means that the Congress is down to 1 of the 7 Assembly seats successful northbound Gujarat’s Banaskantha territory – erstwhile considered its citadel.

Congress campaigner Rajput, who had mislaid Tharad successful 2022 by astir 26,506 votes, was besides wounded by the introduction of BJP rebel and erstwhile MLA Mavji Patel, who belongs to the influential Chaudhary-Patel community, successful the contention arsenic an Independent. The BJP’s Thakor was starting with an vantage successful the Thakor-OBC dominated Vav. Mavji Patel secured 27,195 votes.

Patil Saturday claimed Mavji contesting was a Congress “tactic”. “The Congress enactment up a erstwhile BJP idiosyncratic to marque it a three-way contest, but adjacent helium licked the dust,” helium said.

The BJP campaigned hard successful Vav, with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and elder BJP leaders specified arsenic Paatil and ministers chipping in.