Congress candidate Bhrugurajsinh Chauhan on Monday filed his nominations for the April 23 byelection to the Umreth Assembly constituency in Gujarat’s Anand district.
Chauhan was accompanied by Congress leaders Bharat Solanki, GPCC president Amit Chavda and MLA Imran Khedawala along with leaders of the local district unit. At the ‘Vijay Vishwas Sammelan’ held in Umreth, Chavda said that the party had given the ticket to an “experienced” leader, who had spent several years in public service.
Chavda said, “Chauhan is an experienced leader of the party and has served as the President of the Umreth Taluka Panchayat for three terms… The voters of Umreth know him and also recognise the difference between leaders who work and those who come to power for vested interest…”
Accusing the ruling BJP leaders of “arrogance”, the Congress state chief said the byelection is an opportunity for the Congress to tell them to stop their “corrupt” practices.
“The BJP leaders have reached such a height in arrogance and complacency that their leaders are no longer afraid of even admitting in public that they have indulged in corruption.. Those who could not even afford cycles have purchased luxurious vehicles and bungalows by looting the taxpayers… this election is for us to tell them to, ‘Stop!’,” he said. Chavda was referring to the statement made by former Amul Dairy Chairman Vipul Patel, who allegedly said at a public event that he had “made money” during his political appointments.
In his address before filing the nominations, Chauhan said that the Congress will revive the “development” that he claimed has eluded the Assembly constituency during the BJP rule. Chauhan expressed confidence in his victory in the upcoming polls.
The byelection to the Umreth constituency was necessitated following the death of sitting BJP MLA Govind Parmar, a four-term legislator, last month. The BJP has fielded Harshad Parmar, the son of the late MLA, for the bypoll. Parmar has already filed his nominations.
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The constituency, with over 2.4 lakh registered voters and a dominant population of Kshatriya community, will go to polls on April 23. The result will be declared on May 4. According to the Election Commission, the voting will be held in 300 booths using electronic voting machines with VVPAT systems.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
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