Gujarat Cong chief Shaktisinh Gohil resigns over party's defeat in bypolls

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil on Monday resigned from the post, taking the moral responsibility for the defeat of the party's candidates in the bypolls to Kadi and Visavadar assembly constituencies.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Gopal Italia won the Visavadar seat, while BJP's Rajendra Chavda bagged the Kadi constituency.

In both assembly segments, Congress contestants put up a dismal performance.

"Since the bypoll results were not as per our expectations, I have taken the moral responsibility for my party's defeat and resigned as the president of Gujarat Congress. I have already mailed my resignation letter to our national president Mallikarjun Kharge," Gohil said while addressing a press conference.

Gohil, a Rajya Sabha member, was appointed as the state Congress president in June 2023 in the run-up to the 2024 general elections.

Italia, the former Gujarat president of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), defeated his nearest rival, BJP candidate Kirit Patel, in Visavadar seat of Junagadh district by a margin of 17,554 votes.

In the Kadi seat of Mehsana district, reserved for the Scheduled Caste candidates, BJP's Rajendra Chavda emerged victorious by a margin of 39,452 votes over Congress' Ramesh Chavda after the end of all 22 rounds of counting.

While Rajendra Chavda received 99,742 votes, former Congress MLA Ramesh Chavda managed to secure 60,290 votes.