Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022: How the big names in the fray are performing

Dec 8, 2022 - 13:30

0 24

Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022: How the big names in the fray are performing

It’s counting day and Gujarat is going the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) way. It is racing to its best-ever result in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state. The Congress is far behind with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) cutting into its votes.

The fate of many political heavyweights is being decided. In Gujarat, some of the big names in the fray are incumbent chief minister Bhupendra Patel, BJP’s Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor, Congress’ Jignesh Mevani and AAP’s Isudan Gadhvi and Gopal Italia. It’s a fast-changing scenario but we take a look at where they stand right now.

Catch all the live updates from the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh counting

Bhupendra Patel

BJP’s incumbent chief minister Bhupendra Patel is leading in Ghatlodia, the urban constituency in Ahmedabad city. He is up against Congress’ Amee Yagnik and AAP’s Vijay Patel.

In the 2017 Gujarat Assembly elections, the BJP strongman won with a record margin of 1.17 lakh votes against Congress candidate Shashikant Bhurabhai despite the Patidar quota agitation in 2015, which was then led by Hardik Patel.

The constituency is known to be a saffron stronghold and before Bhupendra Patel, it gave the state another CM, Anandiben Patel.

Hardik Patel

The Patidar quota agitation leader, who was earlier in the Congress, is contesting his first election from his hometown Viramgam as a BJP candidate.

He is leading from the constituency, which has predominantly been a Congress seat. The party won the election here in 1998, 2012 and 2017. The BJP has been able to bag this seat twice in recent years — in 2002 and 2007.

Patel is contesting the polls against Congress’ Lakhabhai Bharwad and AAP’s Kuvarji. Bharwad won the seat in 2017 by 6,548 votes and a 41.25 per cent vote share.

Also read: Explained: How votes are counted for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections

Jignesh Mewani

The 42-year-old Dalit leader is contesting a Congress candidate from the Vadgam seat in Banaskantha district and is currently trailing.

It’s a tough contest for Mewani as he faces BJP’s Manilal Vaghela, a former Congress MLA from the seat, and the AAP’s prominent Dalit rights activist Dalpat Bhatia.

However, he hopes for a repeat of the 2017 elections, which he won as an Independent candidate. Back then, Congress and AAP did not field a candidate against Mewani. The former changed the seat of its sitting lawmaker, Manibhai Vaghela, to neighbouring Idar.

Isudan Gadhvi

AAP’s chief ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi is currently trailing from the Khambhat seat. He is contesting against senior Congress leader and incumbent MLA Vikram Madam and BJP’s Mulu Bera.

Gadhvi hails from the village of Pipaliya in Khambhalia taluka of the Dwarka district. The constituency is dominated electorally by the Ahir community, listed in the Other Backward Classes (OBC). Since 1972 only candidates from this community have been elected from the seat, according to a report in The Indian Express.

AAP, which looks to make inroads in Gujarat, is hoping that the popularity of the former journalist works in their favour.

Alpesh Thakor

BJP’s Alpesh Thakor is leading from Gandhinagar South. A majority of voters in the constituency are from the Thakor community and hence the OBC leader has an upper hand.

It’s a three-pronged contest against strong grassroots candidate Himanshu Patel from Congress and Dolat Patel from the AAP.

Currently, the seat is held by BJP’s Shambhuji Chelaji Thakor.

Gopal Italia

AAP’s Gujarat chief Gopal Italia, who was in the race for the party’s chief ministerial candidate, is fighting from the Patidar-dominated Katargam Assembly seat in Surat city. He is currently trailing.

Italia is facing BJP’s candidate, the incumbent MLA Vinodbhai Amrishbhai Mordiya, and Congress’ Kalpeshbhai Harjivanbhai Variya.

Raviba Jadeja

It’s her first election and she has already grabbed headlines. Raviba Jadeja, the wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, is BJP’s candidate from Jamnagar North. She is leading in the race against Congress veteran Bipendrasinh Chatursinh Jadeja and AAP’s Karsan Karmur.

The BJP dropped sitting Jamnagar North MLA Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, who had won the seat in the 2017 Gujarat Assembly polls by 59 per cent of the votes to field Raviba.

Kantilal Amrutiya

BJP’s Kantilal Amrutiya is leading in Morbi, where the bridge collapse killed over 140 people. He is contesting the ticket on the BJP ticket for the first time.