Gandhinagar: The BJP, still smarting from its defeat in the Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat earlier this year, turned the tables by clinching a crucial victory in the Vav assembly byelection. The seat, which was a Congress stronghold for the past 10 years, is now in the BJP's fold, marking a win ahead of the Banaskantha district panchayat elections in 2025.
BJP leader Swarupji Thakor defeated his nearest Congress rival, Gulabsinh Rajput, by bagging 92,176 votes against Rajput's 89,734. The byelection was necessitated by the resignation of two-term Congress MLA Geni Thakor, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Banaskantha earlier this year.
Vav assembly segment falls under Banaskantha LS constituency and was one of the 17 seats that the Congress won out of the total 182 seats in the state in 2022. Saturday's win further adds to BJP's dominance in the state assembly, raising its tally to 162, while the Congress holds 12, AAP 4, Samajwadi Party 1, with two independents and one vacant seat.
The victory wasn't without challenges. There was a keen contest between the Congress and the BJP as both held spirited campaigns to woo the 3.1 lakh registered voters — including 83,000 voters from the Thakor community, 50,000 belonging to the Chaudhary community, 43,000 Dalits, 25,000 Maldhari (OBC) and 18,000 Brahmin voters — in the constituency.
However, a rift in the local BJP unit led to the entry of veteran BJP leader Mavji Patel as an independent candidate, skewing the straight contest between Swaroopji and Rajput. Patel secured 27,195 votes, but Swaroopji, who had lost to Geni Thakor in 2022, surmounted this hurdle by winning with a slim margin of 2,442 votes against Rajput.
Swaroopji's victory came after a dramatic turnaround during vote counting. He trailed behind Rajput until the 16th round of counting but surged ahead in the final seven rounds, consolidating his lead. Experts suggest that Patel's candidacy actually divided anti-BJP votes, thereby working in the saffron party's favour.
Following the victory, CM Bhupendra Patel said, "My heartfelt congratulations to BJP candidate Swaroopji Thakor and all the hard-working workers for winning the Vav bypoll. A big thank you to the citizens for reposing their faith in BJP's developmental politics."
Union minister and state BJP president C R Paatil also congratulated Swaroopji, saying: "The leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been accepted all over the country, then Gujarat cannot be left out of it. The guidance of Union home minister Amit Shah, the hard work of chief minister Bhupendra Patel and the interaction of workers and leaders with all brothers and sisters led us to victory."
Meanwhile, Congress state president and Rajya Sabha member Shaktisinh Gohil thanked voters and Congress workers for their resilience "as it is more important to fight with principle and tenacity than to win or lose". Congratulating the winner, he added, "After consistently leading in every round, the Congress candidate was defeated by a few votes. Salute to the Congressmen for giving a very strong fight despite facing inappropriate tactics and techniques."