BJP wins 14 seats, rebel candidates get 3 in Surat district co-op bank elections

BJP candidates won 14 seats and party’s rebel candidates bagged three in the Surat District Co-operative Bank elections (SDCB), result of which was announced Saturday. Several BJP heavyweights, including Bardoli MP Prabhu Vasava, were outmuscled.

Of the 18 total seats, elections were held to 13 seats in Surat and Tapi districts on January 28, while winners to the remaining five were declared uncontested. Congress MLA PUnaji Gamit won from Vyara, in Tapi district.

Results on three seats ended in a tie and later chits were drawn as a tie-breaker. Most of the seats saw a contest between BJP-supported candidates and the party’s rebel candidates.

The five seats where winners were declared without elections — SDCB employees seat, Choryasi, Valod, Bardoli, and Olpad – were also won by BJP candidates.

In Choryasi seat, Surat district BJP president Sandeep Desai was declared the winner and BJP MLA Mukesh Patel was elected from Olpad seat.

In Mandvi seat, BJP MP of Bardoli Prabhu Vasava lost to rebel candidate Narendrasinh Kosada, by a margin of five votes.

The seats where chits were drawn as a tie-breaker are Palsana, Mauva and Songadh. In Songadh seat, Congress MLA from Nizar seat Sunil Gamit and rival BJP candidate Jignesh Donwala got 6 votes. Jignesh was declared winner after drawing of chits.

In Vyara, Congress MLA Punaji Gamit, who got 13 votes defeated rival BJP candidate Ganesh Chaudhary by a margin of two votes.

In Surat district (others seat), former BJP MLA of Olpad Kirit Patel defeated former Surat district panchayat president Ashwin Patel by a margin of two votes.

Talking to the Indian Express, former Congress MP and union minister Dr Tushar Chaudhary said, “We don’t want the politics to enter into the co-operative sector and to some extent we were successful. The victory of BJP rebel leaders shows that there is infighting within the BJP party.”

Surat district BJP president and former vice-chairman of SDCB Sandeep Desai said, “During the last five years, we have increased the turnover of the bank to Rs 4,000 crore, made 44 new branches. Four lakh new accounts have been opened during this term and we have 111 ATMs now, while it was just two five years back. We are satisfied with the results and again we will do much better.”