Vav Assembly y polls

After Congress’ Geniben Thakor stopped the BJP’s streak of clean sweeps in Gujarat by winning the Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat, the Vav Assembly seat has remained vacant.

After the announcement made by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the North Gujarat seat has been lined up for polls on November 13.

Congress bets on pedigree

Gujarat Congress has announced the nomination of Gulabsinh Rajput from the Vav seat today.

By considering the caste dynamics and the political heritage of Rajputs in Vav, the grand old party (GOP) aims to retain its bastion.

Rajput won the 2019 Assembly by-elections from Banaskantha’s Tharad seat.

He has a political affiliation with Congress starting from his days at the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), where he was also appointed the state chief.

He derives a political career from his lineage, as his grandfather Hema Rajput also served as an MLA for 20 years at the then adjoint Vav-Tharad Assembly seat.

BJP picks the cream of the crop

The ruling BJP has fielded its stalwart North Gujarat leader Swarup Thakor for the Vav Assembly seat.

The BJP’s entrustment of Swarup, despite his defeat against Congress’ Geni Thakor in the 2022 elections, has turned numerous heads within the party lines.

Notably, the BJP was in a conundrum as over 60 candidates expressed their aspiration to contest the Vav seat.

A three-member observer committee was appointed, including Asarwa MLA Darshna Vaghela, for the ‘sense’ process in Vav.

Some of the names up for the race alongside Swarup included Piraji Thakor, Gajendra Rana, and others along with their supporters.

After tasting defeat in the Lok Sabha in Banaskantha, Vav has turned into a battle of the BJP’s self-respect in Gujarat, widely regarded as their ‘home state’.

Triangular contest in play

As the friendly seat-sharing between Congress and AAP seems to be dropped this time, the BJP may get the advantage in the Vav seat.

In the upcoming by-polls for the Vav seat, AAP will likely field Dr Ramesh Patel as the candidate.

The Vav by-polls will be held on November 13, with the results to be announced on November 23.

Also read:

Vav Assembly bypolls puts BJP in fix after 60 members want to contest

Vav Assembly seat set for triangular contest in bypolls

Vav bypolls: October 25 last date to file nomination