Gujarat: campaigning in full swing for Visavadar, Kadi assembly bypolls

Ahmedabad, Jun 11 (PTI) With only a week left for the June 19 byelections to Visavadar and Kadi assembly seats in Gujarat, the BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have intensified the campaigning.

State BJP president and Union Jal Shakti minister C R Paatil addressed rallies at Visavadar in Junagadh district on June 9 and at Kadi in Mehsana district on June 10.

State ministers including Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi, Health Minister Rushikesh Patel, MoS Co-operation Jagdish Vishwakarma and Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel are also campaigning for the ruling party.

Speaking at a rally in Visavadar on June 9, Paatil urged voters to not "repeat their mistakes" of the past three elections when they elected Congress and AAP candidates.

"Visavadar needs development...don't make a mistake this time, otherwise, future generations will not forgive us," the state BJP chief said.

Notably, the BJP is hoping to overcome an 18-year jinx in Visavadar where it last won in 2007. In the last assembly election in 2022, AAP's Bhupendra Bhayani defeated BJP's Harshad Ribadiya, a Congress turncoat and former MLA, by 7,063 votes.

The seat fell vacant after Bhayani resigned in December 2023 and joined the BJP.

Though both Ribadiya and Bhayani were hopeful of getting a ticket, the ruling party chose a new face, Kirit Patel.

The seat will witness a three-way battle as AAP has fielded its former Gujarat president Gopal Italia while Congress has put its faith in Nitin Ranpariya.

In Kadi, BJP leaders including former deputy CM Nitin Patel, Rajya Sabha MP Mayank Nayak, Mehsana MLA Haribhai Patel and state minister Rushikesh Patel are leading the campaign with door-to-door meetings and small rallies in villages.

Congress too is not leaving any stone unturned as its key leaders including state president Shaktisinh Gohil, its lone Lok Sabha MP from Gujarat Geniben Thakor, MLA Jignesh Mevani and former MLA Baldevji Thakor are campaigning in the constituency.

In view of the significant Muslim population, MLA from Ahmedabad Imran Khedawala and former MLA Gyasudding Shaikh are also campaigning in Kadi for the Congress.

The Scheduled Caste-reserved Kadi seat fell vacant due to the death of BJP MLA Karsanbhai Solanki on February 4.

The BJP has fielded Rajendra Chavda from Kadi while Congress has given ticket to Ramesh Chavda, a former MLA. Ramesh Chavda won in 2012, but lost to BJP's Karsanbhai Solanki in 2017.

It will be a three-way fight here too with Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP fielding Jagdish Chavda.

Counting of votes will take place on June 23.

In the 182-member Gujarat assembly, the BJP has 161 legislators, Congress 12 and AAP four, while one seat is with the Samajwadi Party and two are with independents. PTI PJT PD KRK