When Sardar won civic poll by 1 vote!

Ironically for the corporate elections in 2010, where finding educated candidates is proving an uphill task, the municipal by-elections of 1917 witnessed a close fight between two barristers and a lawyer.

What's more, one of the barristers - Iron man Sardar Patel - won the elections by one vote!

This and many more interesting facts have been quoted in city-based historian Rizwan Kadri's book Sardar Patel: Ek Sinh Purush. Kadri says that the municipal elections that took place on January 5, 1917, were among the most exciting elections of those times.

This was Sardar Patel's first election experience. The three candidates for Dariapur belonged to three different religions - Vallabhbhai Zaverbhai Patel and Gulam Mohiyuddin Mohammadbhai Narmawala, the two barristers, were Hindu and Muslim respectively, while the third candidate, Homi Pastenji Chahewala, was a Parsi and a lawyer himself.

Kadri says that Sardar Patel's victory in this election was very interesting, as he won with a margin of only one vote. After the votes had been counted, Sardar was revealed to have secured 314 votes, while Narmawala had 313. Chahewala, on his part, had 35.

"Narmawala had objected then, that Ratilal Nathalal, a voter who had cast his vote for Sardar Patel (voters' list number 904), was under age. President Ramanbhai (Nilkanth) then sought the members' (scrutinizers') opinion, and the majority decided to consider the vote," Kadri writes.

With the members' consent to consider the vote in Sardar's favour, Sardar retained his 314 votes and emerged the winner - with a one-vote margin. 

"Sardar's well-wishers assembled together, and welcomed and garlanded him. At the time of Sardar's first major victory in life, he was 41 years, 2 months and 5 days old," states Kadri. On the other hand, barrister Narmawala decided to challenge Sardar's victory at the municipality elections, in the district court. On March 26, 1917, district judge Kennedy quashed the by-elections, says Kadri.

However, after the court order, municipality president Ramanbhai wrote a letter to the collector regarding holding the by-election again, and May 14 was fixed as the date for the same. "But there was no excitement this time around, as Sardar was the only candidate, and he won uncontested," writes Kadri.