BJP wins Jasdan bypoll in Gujarat, second time in over 50 years

Coming in the backdrop of its defeat in three states, the victory in Jasdan bypoll is like a sweet revenge for the BJP. The fact that BJP has won from Jasdan only twice in more than 50 years makes the result all the more significant for the party.

Jasdan has been a Congress bastion since 1962, and before today's result, the BJP had won the seat only once. That was in 2009, and that was also in a by-election.

The bypoll was necessitated after Bavaliya resigned from the assembly upon his election from Rajkot seat in Lok Sabha elections. BJP candidate Bharat Boghra defeated Bavaliya's daughter and Congress candidate Bhavna comfortably in the bypoll to give BJP its maiden victory in Jasdan.

BJP's second victory in Jasdan has also come in a bypoll with Bavaliya defeating his one-time associate and Congress candidate Avsar Nakiya with a margin of close to 20,000 votes. The fact that Bavaliya's victory margin more than doubled from the last time shows that his popularity remains intact even after switching sides.

Expectations that the contest would be a close one were laid to rest from the very beginning, as Bavaliya, eyeing a sixth term as MLA, led from the word go. He developed a healthy lead from the very first round of counting, it stretched as more votes were counted. Out of 19 rounds of counting, Bavaliya polled more votes than Nakiya in as many as 14 rounds. The Congress nominee got more votes in the 14th, 15th, 16th, and even the 19th round, but Bavaliya's healthy lead in the earlier rounds ensured that it was not enough to prevent him from scoring a big victory.

The Jasdan bypoll had become a battle of prestige between the two parties in the wake of Congress defeating BJP in the assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. The victory in the rural seat makes the result all the more significant, a point chief minister Vijay Rupani alluded to while speaking with reporters.

"The Congress party was resorting to over the top celebrations, and spreading all kinds of lies after winning in assembly elections, but people of Jasdan have given a fitting reply to it," Rupani told reporters at the state BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar.

Rupani exuded confidence that the Jasdan result was an indication that the party would win all 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

The victory increased BJP's tally in the assembly from 100, while also strengthening the chief minister's position.

Reacting to the result, the Congress accused BJP of misusing government machinery to win the election.

"The BJP misused the government machinery and police department. BJP claims to be the world's biggest party, but it does not have a candidate of its own, and had to field one from another party," state Congress president Amit Chavda and leader of opposition Paresh Dhanani, said.

The losing candidate Avsar Nakiya, on the other hand, accused BJP of winning the election by tampering EVMs.

State BJP president Jitu Vaghani said that people had rejected Congress's negative politics.

MORALE BOOST

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani exuded confidence that the result of bypoll in Jasdan seat was an indication that the saffron party would win all 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2019 polls.