Gandhinagar: The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) office of Gujarat announced on Thursday that 16 candidates remain in the race for the Visavadar assembly bypolls, while 8 candidates are contesting for the Kadi seat. Thursday marked the final day for candidates to withdraw their nominations.

Besides the BJP, Congress, and AAP, the contest includes candidates from the Prajashakti Democratic Party, Right To Recall Party, Bharatiya Jan Parishad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Party, Aapki Awaz Party, and several independents.

Polling for the by-elections is scheduled for June 19, with vote counting set for June 23. In the 182-member assembly, the BJP holds 161 seats, Congress has 12, AAP has 4, Samajwadi Party has 1, and 2 MLAs are independents.

These bypolls were necessitated after the Kadi seat fell vacant following the demise of sitting MLA Karshan Solanki, while the Visavadar seat was vacated after the resignation of then AAP MLA Bhupat Bhayani, who later joined the BJP. DeshGujarat