In Mehsana Lok Sabha constituency of Gujarat, BJP’s Hari Patel has won with a margin greater than 3.28 lakh votes, defeating Congress’ Ramji Thakor.

The electoral battle in Mehsana featured a contest between the BJP and the Congress as the former prepared to continue its winning streak.

Mehsana saw a voter turnout of 59.04% on the election day during phase III on May 7.

The BJP nominated 62-year-old Hari Patel, a prominent figure within the Kadva Patidar community and the former president of the party’s unit in Mehsana district.

On the other hand, the Congress party selected 52-year-old Ramji Thakor, leader of the Rashtriya Thakor Sena, who previously contested as an independent in the last assembly election from Kheralu, securing third place with 36,000 votes.

This strategic nomination by the Congress to field Thakor for the Mehsana Lok Sabha seat, and Dinesh Patel in the Bijapur assembly bye-election was seen as an attempt to capitalise on the discontent within the Kshatriya community against BJP’s Parshottam Rupala.

Dynamics of Mehsana Lok Sabha seat

Mehsana is a pivotal Lok Sabha constituency for the BJP, and it is historically significant as it is here the party secured its first-ever seat nationally.

Since its debut win in 1984, the BJP has consistently dominated here, with AK Patel being the first to represent the party.

Mehsana is the district where prime minister Narendra Modi’s hometown Vadnagar is situated and is also the birthplace of the Patidar reservation movement.

Senior BJP leader Nitin Patel lost by a margin of 14,000 votes in 2014.

Mehsana is particularly noted for its substantial Patel population, especially the Kadva Patel subgroup, which has a significant political influence in the region.

This influence was prominently displayed during the Patidar reservation movement spearheaded by Hardik Patel.

(With inputs from syndicated feed)