BJP's Vijay Rupani wins Rajkot West seat comfortably

Close to 49.32% votes were polled, down by nearly 15% down from the 2012 Gujarat assembly election

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday retained the Rajkot West Assembly constituency, successfully maintaining its strong hold on its pocket borough. BJP candidate Vijay Rupani defeated his Congress' Jayanti Kalariya by a margin of 23,740 votes to emerge victorious from the urban seat.

Close to 49.32 percent votes were polled, down by nearly 15 per cent down from the 2012 Gujarat assembly election.

Low voting percentage had worried the BJP brass. Rupani polled 81,092 votes while 57,352 votes were cast in Jayanti Kalariya's favour.

Rupani said efforts of party workers and love of people have made him victorious in the election.

Voters in the seat opted for None of the Above (NOTA) as the third alternative, as 3,110 votes were polled in its favour

The seat fell vacant following the resignation of sitting MLA and former Assembly Speaker Vaju Vala after he was appointed Governor of Karnataka. The constituency has been held by BJP since 1990.