Gujarat by-polls: BJP leads in LS, assembly seats

Early trends show BJP is leading in two Lok Sabha seats and three assembly seats

Counting for the by-elections held on June 2 in two Lok Sabha seats and four assembly seats began on Wednesday. Early trends showed BJP leading in the two Lok Sabha seats and three assembly seats.

State Election officials said that trends so far show that BJP candidates in Porbander and Banaskantha parliamentary constituencies and assembly seats of Jetpur, Dhoraji and Limbdi were leading with a sizable margin.

In Morva Hadaf assembly seat, Congress candidate was leading against nearest rival from BJP, he added.

The stakes are very high for the Gujarat Congress as all the seats where the by-polls were held belonged to the Congress. The by-polls are being viewed as test for the opposition Congress, ahead of the 2014 general elections.

On June, an average 34% voter turnout was recorded for two Lok Sabha seats of Porbander and Banaskantha, while around 52% electorate came out for voting for the four assembly seats of Dhoraji, Jetpur, Limbadi and Morva Hadaf.

In the state legislative Assembly of 182 members, at present BJP has 115 MLAs, Congress 57, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) 2, Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) 2 and Independent and JD(U) has one member each member.

While out of the 26 seats from Gujarat in Lok Sabha, BJP has 15, while Congress has 9.

Elections are being held on Banaskantha Lok Sabha and Morva Hadaf Assembly seats after the death of Mukesh Gadhvi and Savita Khant, who were holding these seats respectively as Congress candidates. Khant had in fact died on the day of counting of state assembly elections on December 20.

On Porbandar Lok Sabha seat, Vithhal Radadia first resigned as an MP when he got elected as an MLA from Dhoraji seat as a Congress candidate in the Assembly elections held in December last year. Later, Vithhal Radadia (Dhoraji) and his son Jayesh, who won from Jetpur Assembly seat, resigned as Congress MLAs and joined BJP and now both are contesting elections from Porbandar Lok Sabha and Jetpur Assembly seats respectively on the tickets from the ruling party.

Sitting Congress MP from Surendranagar Soma Patel, after winning Limbdi Assembly seat, resigned as an MLA due to which by-polls were are being held on Limbdi seat. On Limbdi seat son of Soma Patel, Satish is having a fight against former state minister Kiritsinh Rana of BJP. Whereas from Morva Hadaf Congress candidate Bhupendra Khant is son of Savita Khant.

Similarly for Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat, Congress has given ticket to Krishna Gadhvi, who is widow of Mukesh Gadhvi. On four Assembly seats a total of 18 candidates are contesting, while for two Lok Sabha seats 15 candidates are in fray.