Gandhinagar, 9 November 2020: Counting for by-elections on 8 assembly seats in Gujarat is scheduled on November 10. The seats are Abdasa, Morbi, Limbdi, Gadhada (SC), Dhari, Karjan, Dang (ST) and Kaprada (ST).

Polling on these seats took place on November 3. By-elections on these seats have been necessitated due to resignations of then sitting Congress MLAs. Five of outgoing MLAs who were previously elected on Congress ticket have been fielded by BJP as its candidates. On all 8 seat, the main fight is between BJP and Congress candidates.

According to India Today – Axis exit poll, BJP is likely to win 6 to 7 seats in Gujarat by-polls. Interestingly this is the first election season in the State after appointment of CR Patil as State BJP chief and Hardik Patel as State Congress Working President.

Gujarat has in present calendar year not witnessed any by-poll or regular poll for State assembly or Lok Sabha. The State only witnessed four-seat Rajya Sabha polls for which only MLAs cast votes. The state is also not going to witness any other by-poll or regular poll later this year. In that sense, 8-seat bypolls was the only election season in present calendar year in Gujarat. The next season of polls will be in the first quarter of next calendar year when municipal corporations, municipalities, district and taluka panchayats will go for general elections.

The present 8-seat by-polls covered roughly 18.75 lakh voters. Over 60 per cent of them exercised franchise.

As all 8 seats were previously with Congress, the BJP will gain with victory over even one single seat. However the party would feel upper hand matching to its stature only if it wins at least five seats. More victories for BJP will in a way impact more Congress MLAs to leave their party and join BJP in future. More victories for Congress will convey a strong message against defection to BJP. Opposition Congress party’s main call to people during the campaign was about teaching lesson to ‘gaddar’ defectors who left Congress, resigned from the state assembly and caused by-polls amid Covid-19 pandemic. Ruling BJP’s main call to voters during the campaign was, about electing a ruling party candidate as MLA so that he can be in sync with the State government and do development works in constituency with more efficiency.

Before the present by-polls, as many as 15 Congress MLAs had resigned from the party, causing by-polls on their assembly seats in last over ten years post new delimitation in effect. On 11 of these 15 seats, BJP candidates emerged victorious, while Congress was successful tor retain 4 seats. Looking at this winning ration of 73.33 per cent in by-polls of same nature, BJP needs to win five to six seats in eight-seat by-polls. Results is likely to be clear post or around noon time on November 10. You can find, the live results available on this page. DeshGujarat