After a decade of BJP’s clean sweep in the state, Congress has opened its account with Geni Thakor winning from Banaskantha seat in Lok Sabha polls 2024.

The political atmosphere in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district was charged ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

In a battle of two women, the Congress fielded Geni Thakor against BJP nominee Rekha Chaudhary from Banaskantha, a seat held by the BJP since the 2013 bypoll.

Banaskantha in the northern part of Gujarat saw one of the highest active voter engagement with 68.44% of voter turnout on the election day during phase III on May 7.

Geni Thakor, the Congress’ sole female representative in the Gujarat Assembly, is known for her spirited advocacy of women’s issues and her ability to cut across party lines in the Legislative Assembly.

On the other hand, BJP’s Rekhaben Chaudhary also emerges as a significant contender, who is the only new female face in BJP’s first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat.

Dynamics of Banaskantha constituency

The recent electoral history of Banaskantha tells a tale of decisive victories, with BJP’s Parbat Patel securing victory in 2019 by a margin of more than 3.68 lakh votes against Congress’ Parthi Bhatol.

As Banaskantha gears up for another electoral showdown, the focus is on what might sway the voters - Thakor’s grassroots mobilisation or Rekha Chaudhary’s political pedigree.

(With inputs from syndicated feed)