VADODARA: The BJP retained its stronghold of Manjalpur in Gujarat’s Vadodara district on Monday, but the sharp decline in its victory margin compared with the 2022 assembly elections could raise concerns for the ruling party despite its comfortable bypoll win.BJP candidate Satish Govindbhai Patel defeated Congress challenger and former minister Bhikhabhai Rabari by 30,630 votes. While the victory keeps the seat firmly with the BJP, the margin was significantly lower than the 1,00,754-vote lead secured by the party in the 2022 assembly elections, when the BJP recorded a historic performance in Gujarat.According to the Election Commission, Satish Patel secured 55,481 votes, while Rabari polled 24,851 votes after all 20 rounds of counting. The two were the only candidates in the fray in the bypoll.The by-election, held on July 30, was necessitated by the death of senior BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Yogesh Patel in June following a prolonged illness.The BJP’s reduced margin comes against the backdrop of Manjalpur’s long-standing status as a saffron stronghold. The party has held the constituency since 2012, with Yogesh Patel winning the seat that year after defeating Congress candidate Chinam Gandhi.Yogesh Patel retained the seat in the 2017 Assembly elections, defeating Congress leader Chirag Hanskumar Zaver by more than 56,000 votes. The constituency recorded a voter turnout of 68.92% in the 2017 polls.The 2026 bypoll, however, saw a sharp fall in voter participation, with only 37.5% of voters exercising their franchise. Around 82,000 of the 2.19 lakh registered voters cast their ballots.With the victory, the BJP’s strength in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly has risen to 162. The Congress has 12 MLAs, followed by the Aam Aadmi Party with five, two Independents and one Samajwadi Party legislator.While the BJP’s hold over Manjalpur remains intact, the substantial drop in its winning margin from the 2022 Assembly election could provide political ammunition to the opposition and prompt the ruling party to examine the reasons behind the erosion in its vote lead.(With agency inputs)
