New Delhi: The BJP did not fare particularly well in the by-elections held for three seats across three states. The party is consistently trailing in the vote count for the Datia assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh and the Bankipur assembly seat in Bihar. However, there is welcome news from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, where the BJP has secured a resounding victory in the by-election for the Manjalpur assembly seat.
After the conclusion of 20 rounds of counting, BJP candidate Satendrabhai Patel defeated Congress’s Bhikhabhai Rabari by a margin of over 30,000 votes. This is being viewed as a major victory for the BJP in the by-election. Voting for the Manjalpur seat took place on July 30; the by-election was necessitated by the passing of former Gujarat minister and senior BJP leader Yogesh Patel.
Lotus Blooms Again in Manjalpur
The BJP once again defeated the Congress in the by-election for Gujarat’s Manjalpur assembly seat. BJP’s Satendrabhai Patel won by a margin of 30,630 votes, leaving Congress’s Bhikhabhai Rabari in second place. Satendrabhai Patel established a lead right from the start of the counting process, and this lead continued to widen. The Congress has been out of power in Gujarat for a long time, and this result comes as a significant setback for the party.
BJP’s Lead After the 17th Round
The BJP candidate maintained a lead from the very beginning on the Manjalpur assembly seat. By the end of the 17th round of counting, the Bharatiya Janata Party had established a commanding lead. Following the 17th round, BJP candidate Satish Patel remained at the top with 49,791 votes.
Satish Patel’s Lead After the 12th Round
The BJP candidate secured a massive lead in the 12th round of counting as well. In this round, BJP candidate Satish Patel received 3,062 votes, whereas Congress candidate Bhikhabhai received a total of 892 votes. The NOTA option received 114 votes in this constituency. After the 12th round of counting, BJP’s Satish Patel had taken the lead with 34,345 votes, while Congress’s Bhikhabhai Rabari had secured only 14,977 votes.
When did the counting begin?
Many eyes were fixed on the vote counting for the Manjalpur by-election. The counting process began at 8:00 AM at Bhavan’s School in Makarpura. The by-election, held on July 30, had recorded a voter turnout of only 37.7 per cent. A close, head-to-head contest was anticipated for this seat between BJP’s Satish Patel and Congress’s Bhikhabhai Rabari.
According to observers, the Manjalpur seat is considered a traditional stronghold of the BJP. The late leader Yogesh Patel represented the Raopura seat five times between 1990 and 2007. Subsequently, he secured consecutive victories in 2012, 2017, and 2022 from the Manjalpur seat, which was formed following the 2008 delimitation. He served as an MLA for eight consecutive terms spanning 36 years.
