Gujarat bypolls: Voting begins in Visavadar and Kadi assembly seats

Ahmedabad: Voting began on Thursday morning for byelections to the Visavadar and Kadi assembly seats in Gujarat, where the BJP, Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have put up their candidates.

The polling commenced at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, election officials said.

The state government has declared a public holiday on Thursday in both the constituencies for voting, said the office of Gujarat’s Chief Electoral Officer.

It said votes would be cast through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at 294 polling stations in each constituency.

The Visavadar seat in Junagadh district has been lying vacant since December 2023, after the then AAP legislator Bhupendra Bhayani resigned and joined the ruling BJP.

While the BJP has nominated Kirit Patel for the bypoll in Visavadar, Congress has fielded Nitin Ranpariya. AAP’s former Gujarat president Gopal Italia is also in the fray.

Despite its near-total dominance in the state, the BJP hasn't won the Vasavadar seat since 2007. Party leaders said they are hopeful of overcoming the 18-year jinx here.

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 Kadi seat in Mehsana district, a constituency reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates, has been lying vacant since February 4, following the death of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki.

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

Like Visavadar, the Kadi seat will also witness a three-way fight, with the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP fielding Jagdish Chavda.

Votes will be counted 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, two are with independents.