BJP retains Manjalpur seat in Gujarat; Satish Patel defeats Congress rival by over 30,000 votes

The BJP on Monday retained the Manjalpur Assembly seat in Gujarat's Vadodara district, with its candidate Satish Patel defeating Congress nominee Bhikhabhai Rabari by more than 30,000 votes in the by-election.

According to the Election Commission, Patel secured 55,481 votes, while Rabari polled 24,851 votes after all 20 rounds of counting, giving the former a winning margin of 30,630 votes.

Counting of votes began at 8 am at Bhavan's School in the Makarpura area of Vadodara amid tight security.

Bypoll held on July 30

The bypoll, held on July 30, recorded a voter turnout of 37.5 per cent.

The election was necessitated by the death of senior BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Yogesh Patel on June 2 following a prolonged illness.

The BJP had fielded former Vadodara Municipal Corporation councillor Satish Govindbhai Patel, while the Congress nominated its Gujarat vice president and former minister Bhikhabhai Rabari. Only the two candidates were in the fray.

With the victory, the BJP's strength in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly goes up to 162. The Congress has 12 MLAs, followed by the Aam Aadmi Party with five, two Independents and a Samajwadi Party legislator.