Visavadar bypoll: AAP's win will be tight slap to BJP, says Kejriwal

Ahmedabad, DHNS: Ahead of the by-election to the Visavadar assembly seat, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and former Delhi CM Atishi held a grand roadshow to support party candidate Gopal Italia in Junagadh district on Saturday.

"The BJP could not win here, so they broke down our MLA, and he joined BJP. Through this act, the BJP has insulted the voters of Visavadar. I appeal to you to vote for Gopal Italia and I promise he won't break like others did,” Kejriwal said.

Italia, the former state president, filed his nomination following the rally. The BJP and Congress are yet to declare names of candidates.

Kejriwal appealed for votes while saying that Italia's victory would be a 'tight slap on the face of BJP'. He said the BJP was a 'rogue party' while Congress was a dhokhebaaz' (cheater).

The bypoll was necessitated after AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani defected to the BJP. Visavadar was one of the five seats that AAP had won in the 2022 Assembly polls, in which BJP bagged a record 156 seats in the house of 182. The Congress was restricted to 17 seats.

The bypoll is also being held at the Kadi seat that fell vacant after the death of Karshan Solanki.

The last date for filing nominations is June 2 and polling will be held on June 19. The results will be announced on June 23.