Gujarat By-elections: Votes Begin in Visavadar and Kadi

Ahmedabad, Jun 19 (PTI) Voting has commenced on Thursday morning for the byelections to the Visavadar and Kadi assembly seats in Gujarat, marking a key event where the BJP, Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have fielded their candidates. The polling is set to run from 7 am until 6 pm, as confirmed by election officials. The Gujarat government has declared a public holiday in both constituencies to facilitate the voting process, according to the office of the state's Chief Electoral Officer. Votes are being cast via Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at 294 polling stations in each constituency. The Visavadar seat in Junagadh district has been vacant since December 2023 after former AAP legislator Bhupendra Bhayani switched allegiance to the ruling BJP. The BJP has put forward Kirit Patel as their candidate in Visavadar, while the Congress has chosen Nitin Ranpariya. AAP’s former Gujarat president Gopal Italia is also contesting the seat. Despite their strong presence in the state, the BJP has not won the Visavadar seat since 2007, but party leaders remain optimistic about ending this 18-year streak. In the 2022 assembly election, AAP's Bhupendra Bhayani defeated BJP's Harshad Ribadiya, a former Congress MLA, by 7,063 votes. The Kadi seat in Mehsana district, a constituency reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates, became vacant following the demise of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki on February 4. The BJP is fielding Rajendra Chavda from Kadi, while the Congress has put up Ramesh Chavda, a former legislator who won this seat in 2012 but lost to BJP’s Karsanbhai Solanki in 2017. Like Visavadar, Kadi will also see a three-way competition, with the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP fielding Jagdish Chavda. The votes will be counted on June 23. In the 182-member Gujarat assembly, the BJP holds 161 seats, Congress 12 and AAP four. Additionally, one seat is held by the Samajwadi Party, with two others by independents.