Gujarat: The Congress on Friday fielded former MLA Gulab Singh Rajput as its candidate for the by-election to Gujarat’s Vav Assembly constituency.
This follows the resignation of Geniben Thakor, Congress’ only winning candidate in Banaskantha district, who vacated the seat to retain her role as a Lok Sabha member.
The District Election Officer and Collector revealed that the Vav constituency has 310,681 registered voters. This includes 161,293 male and 149,387 female voters who were expected to exercise their franchise in the upcoming by-election.
As many as 321 polling stations will be established for the election, and 1,412 officials, including presiding polling officers, will ensure smooth operations. In addition, 275 unique polling stations will be set up to accommodate voters. Permission will be required for public meetings, processions, rallies, and the use of loudspeakers and helicopters.
Suigam Mamlatdar has been appointed the nodal officer for the Vav Assembly election. Twenty-one teams have been formed to manage the election process. The Election Commission also set a spending limit of Rs 40 lakh for the by-election campaign.
Geniben Thakor, who vacated the Vav seat to retain her Lok Sabha position representing Banaskantha, had previously held the Vav seat for Congress, securing a notable win in the 2022 elections with over 102,000 votes (45.26 per cent of the total votes) against BJP’s Swarup Thakor, who garnered approximately 86,000 votes (38.37 per cent of the vote share).
In that election, candidates from smaller parties and independents, including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), received minimal support.
The BSP candidate gained 1,849 votes (0.82 per cent), and AAP’s Bhemajibhai Patel collected only 1,596 votes (0.7 per cent). The total votes cast in 2022 were 226,502, with 3,997 votes (1.76 per cent) cast for NOTA.
The by-election also reflects the challenges Rajput faces in a competitive region. In the 2022 Legislative Assembly election for Tharad, he was defeated by BJP’s Shankar Chaudhary, who led with 117,891 votes (54.27 per cent) against Rajput’s 91,385 votes (42.07 per cent). Rajput’s selection underscores Congress’ commitment to maintaining control over Vav despite his recent loss in Tharad.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha race, Geniben Thakor maintained Congress’ influence in Banaskantha by winning over 1,01,000 votes against BJP’s Rekhaben Chaudhari, who received close to 1,03,000 votes. The Vav Assembly by-election is now seen as a key test of this sustained support.
The election is set for November 13, and the results will be declared on November 23.
–IANS