Gujarat By-Election Update: BJP's Satish Patel Leads in Manjalpur

Current Status of the Manjalpur By-Election

Vadodara, August 3 - In the ongoing vote counting for the by-election in the Manjalpur assembly seat of Gujarat, Satish Patel from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is currently leading by over 8,000 votes against his rival from the Congress party. This information was provided by election officials.

The counting process commenced at 8 AM within the secure premises of a school located in the Makarpura area of Vadodara. After four rounds of counting, Patel has secured 12,941 votes, while his closest competitor, former minister Bhikhabhai Rabari, has garnered 4,568 votes, giving Patel a lead of 8,373 votes. The by-election, held on July 30, saw a voter turnout of 37.5 percent. This election was necessitated by the passing of BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Yogesh Patel on June 2.

Patel had been unwell for an extended period. The BJP fielded Satish Govindbhai Patel, a former municipal councilor from Vadodara, while the Congress nominated Bhikhabhai Rabari, who serves as the vice president of the Gujarat unit. The outcome of this by-election is not expected to significantly impact the BJP's strength.

Nonetheless, it will be intriguing to observe how the Congress party competes in Vadodara, a stronghold for the BJP.