BJP holds Manjalpur in Gujarat, but with a much smaller victory margin
In a recent bypoll, the BJP claimed victory in the Manjalpur seat of Vadodara, Gujarat, with candidate Satish Patel triumphing over Congress's Bhikhabhai Rabari by a notable, though diminished, margin compared to past assembly election results. This election followed the passing of BJP MLA Yogesh Patel, highlighting a need for the party to reassess its strategies given the reduced lead in votes.
In Gujarat's Vadodara district, the BJP maintained its stronghold of Manjalpur in the July 30 bypoll, but the party's victory margin shrank considerably compared to the 2022 assembly elections. BJP candidate Satish Govindbhai Patel edged out Congress challenger Bhikhabhai Rabari by 30,630 votes. Republican gains kept the constituency firmly in the party's grasp, though the margin was significantly less than the 1,00,754-vote lead in the 2022 election.
Satish Patel garnered 55,481 votes, while Rabari received 24,851 votes. The by-election was prompted by the death of senior BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Yogesh Patel in June due to prolonged illness. The BJP's reduced margin comes amidst Manjalpur's long-standing status as a BJP stronghold, where the party has held the seat since 2012.
Despite the sharp drop in its winning margin in the 2026 bypoll, the BJP still holds a strong presence in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, with a total of 162 MLAs.
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