In the previous Assembly elections that took place in 2017, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been in power since 1995, retained power following a tight contest with the Indian National Congress (INC). Will history repeat itself this year? Or will the campaigning strategies of AAP and Congress pay off?
In 2012, BJP won 116 seats out of 182 seats and INC won only 60 seats. In 2017, BJP secured a majority by winning 99 seats in the 182-member Assembly and Congress followed with 77 seats. BJP suffered serious losses in a few districts of Saurashtra in the 2017 Assembly elections due to Patidar agitation and disputes over the farmers' protest; notably in Amreli and Gir Somnath where all seats were lost to Congress.
Here is a list of constituencies where the BJP fared badly in the last Gujarat elections.
In the Mandvi constituency of Surat district, Indian National Congress's Chaudhari Anandbhai Mohanbhai won 96,483 votes with a whopping margin of 50,776 votes against BJP’s Pravinbhai Merjibhai Chaudhari’s 45,707 votes.
BJP's Ravjibhai Ishvarbhai Vasava lost with 64,906 votes against 113,854 votes by Bhartiya Tribal Party's Vasava Chhotubhai Amarsinh in the Jhagadia constituency of Surat district.
In Jamnagar district’s Kalavad constituency, Congress’s Musadiya Pravinbhai Narashibhai won with 78,085 votes against 45,134 votes secured by BJP’s Ghaiyada Muljibhai Dayabhai.
BJP’s Bhushan Ashok Bhatt lost with 46,007 votes against Congress candidate Imran Yusufbhai Khedawala’s 75,346 votes in Ahmedabad district’s Jamalpur-Khadia constituency.
Hansakuvarba Janaksinh Raj of BJP party bagged only 56,974 votes against Congressman Amit Chavda’s 90,603 votes in Anand district’s Anklav constituency
In the Amreli constituency, Indian National Congress's Paresh Dhanani won 87,032 votes with a margin of 12,029 votes. BJP’s Bavkubhai Undhad secured only 44.9 per cent of votes, i.e. 75,003 votes.