THE BJP retained the Manjalpur Assembly seat in Vadodara with a reduced victory margin as compared to the 2022 Assembly polls, as party candidate Satish Patel defeated Congress’ Bhika Rabari by 30,499 votes on Monday.
The result, however, reflected a significantly narrower margin than the 2022 Assembly election, when the BJP had won the seat by nearly one lakh votes – owing to the 37 per cent voter turnout this time on voting day, July 30.
After his win, Patel said the people of Manjalpur had extended the same support to him that they had earlier given to the Late Yogesh Patel, who was an eight-term MLA. “The people of Manjalpur have stood by me just as they stood by Yogesh Kaka,” he said after the victory.
Congress candidate Bhika Rabari accepted the verdict but claimed that the by-election “unfair”, alleging that the electoral process was not conducted in a free and fair manner. He accused the ruling party of using intimidation, deployment of a large force and the use of muscle power had affected the atmosphere in the constituency. Rabari further alleged that complaints made by him during the campaign were ignored.
He also accused some officials of acting like “BJP agents” instead of remaining neutral, saying the Model Code of Conduct was violated with impunity.
“In a democracy, elections should be free and fair, but that did not happen. My supporters were discouraged from voting and the atmosphere was vitiated,” Rabari alleged. He also questioned the conduct of authorities during the polling process and said such actions posed a threat to democratic values.
Despite the defeat, Rabari said he would continue to work among the people and serve the public irrespective of the election result.
The bypoll for the Manjalpur Assembly constituency was held on July 30. Voting remained low at 37.05 per cent, and counting was conducted in 19 rounds on Monday.
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Reacting to the results, Gujarat BJP spokesperson Anil Patel said the people have “rejected negative politics of the Congress.
An official statement quoted Patel as saying, “…it is clear that the public has completely rejected Congress’s negative politics. Of the 260 polling stations in the Manjalpur Assembly constituency, the Congress could not even appoint polling agents at several booths. Outside many polling stations, they were not even able to arrange seating for their workers. This situation itself reflects the weakening organisational state of Congress.”
The BJP spokesperson added, “This result is proof that Congress is continuously losing its mass base across Gujarat. The public of the country is disappointed with the behavior and language of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other leaders of that party in Parliament. On the contrary, the public is continuously extending its support to the politics based on development, good governance, and public welfare under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.”
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.
Expertise:
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Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
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Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
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