With the bypolls being declared for two more seats - Radhanpur and Bayad- speculations are rife about who will be the candidates for the same. While former MLA of Radhanpur Alpesh Thakor is likely to be given a ticket for the seat, things are not clear as far as Dhavalsinh Zala is concerned.
In all, polls have been declared for six seats so far and the BJP is likely to make a clean sweep in all of them. Of the six seats, the party was in power in three of them while two - Radhanpur and Bayad - had been with the Congress. One seat - Lunawada - was won by an independent candidate, who eventually joined the BJP. The party is relying on the abrogation of Article 370 from Kashmir and the fact that at least four of the six seats have more or less voted for it to swing the result in its favour. State BJP president Jitu Vaghani had said on Saturday. "Not just the bypolls in Gujarat, but we will be winning Maharashtra, Haryana and other bypolls too, thanks to the excellent work done by the government at the centre," Vaghani told mediapersons. The BJP has also pressed in its workers from Kutch and Patan for canvassing in the Radhanpur polls. Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja, who is also the incharge for Radhanpur and Bayad seats also held a party workers meeting to get a sense of voter's mood. Thakor was also present at the meeting. As for the Congress, the party has appointed former State President Arjun Modhwadiya as in-charge for the Radhanpur seat while the responsibility for Bayad has been handed over to Madhusudan Mistry.
It should be noted that both Thakor and Zala had won the seat for the Congress, but had resigned as MLA after both of them voted for the BJP in the Rajya Sabha elections. Even before Thakor and Zala quit the party, the two had been at loggerheads with the Congress. While in Congress, Thakor had earlier quit from all posts, but had continued to remain an MLA. Thakor's joining of the BJP had been speculated for long and he confirmed the same after he quit the party and joined the saffron party. It was also speculated that Thakor would eventually be accommodated in the cabinet.
Bypolls usually have swung in favour of the ruling party and Congress turncoats have continued to remain successful after their jump to the saffron party. In 2018 BJP's Kunvarji Bavalia won the Jasdan by poll by a whopping with 89000 votes. Bavalia a Congress turncoat was immediately inducted into the Cabinet by the BJP.
NATIONALIST PITCH
- The party is relying on abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and the fact that at least four of the six seats have more or less voted for it to swing result in its favour.
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