The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress announced their candidates for the upcoming by-elections in two key Assembly constituencies of Gujarat — Kadi in north Gujarat and Visavadar in the Saurashtra region — on Sunday. The BJP has nominated Rajendra Chavda from Kadi and Kirit Patel from Visavadar in Junagadh district. The Congress has fielded former MLA Ramesh Chavda from Kadi, but is yet to name a candidate for Visavadar.
Rajendra Chavda, BJP’s nominee from Kadi, is a former member of the Mehsana taluka panchayat and is making his debut in the Assembly elections. He will contest against Congress’s Ramesh Chavda, who previously represented Kadi in the Gujarat Assembly after winning the 2012 election on a Congress ticket. Kadi is a Scheduled Caste-reserved constituency.
The by-election in Kadi was necessitated by the death of sitting BJP MLA Karshan Solanki in February this year. Solanki had held the seat since 2017 and was a prominent Scheduled Caste leader in the region.
In Visavadar, the vacancy arose after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Bhupendra Bhayani resigned from the Assembly in December 2023 and subsequently joined the BJP. Bhayani’s switch is seen as part of a broader trend of political realignments in Saurashtra, where the BJP is working to consolidate its position ahead of the next Assembly polls.
AAP declares candidates too
The AAP had already declared its candidates for both seats — Jagdish Chavda from Kadi and Gopal Italia from Visavadar. Italia, a former Gujarat AAP president, is a well-known face in state politics and is expected to mount a strong campaign in the Saurashtra seat.
With a three-way contest shaping up in both constituencies, the by-elections are expected to be closely watched as indicators of shifting political ground ahead of larger electoral battles in the state.
The last date for filing nominations is Monday, June 2. Polling will take place on June 19, with counting scheduled for June 22.
(With agency inputs)
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