Gujarat Lok Sabha elections 2024 LIVE updates | 25 seats to go to polls today; PM Modi to cast his vote in Ahmedabad

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With the Surat walkover, the BJP has clinched one out of the 26 Lok Sabha seats of Gujarat

May 07, 2024 06:52 am | Updated 06:54 am IST

Polling officials set up a polling booth inside a shipping container, ahead of the third phase of the general election, at Aaliya Bet Island in Gujarat on May 6, 2024 | Photo Credit: Reuters

The State of Gujarat will turn up today to vote for 25 of the 26 Lok Sabha seats of the State. With major turncoats, a controversial walkover, and simmering discontentment over candidate choice, the lead up to the Gujarat elections has been chock-full of political intrigue.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which won all the 26 seats in 2019, opened its account in 2024 in April itself with its Surat candidate getting a walkover. A day after the nomination of the Surat Congress candidate was rejected by the Election Commission, the other nominees withdrew from the contest, leaving the ruling party’s nominee Mukesh Dalal as the sole candidate in the race. Consequently, there will be no voting in the second-largest city of Gujarat today.

Also read | The BJP’s near-complete domination in Gujarat

This was not the only setback for the grand old party, whose spokesperson Rohan Gupta resigned from the party in March citing “harassment and character assassination” by unnamed leaders in the party. Mr. Gupta had been selected as a candidate for the Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha seat.

Meanwhile, the incumbent BJP is facing its own unique test as it navigates the Rajput anger that has bubbled up following remarks by Union Minister Parshottam Rupala. The Rajputs have been holding protests against the BJP in villages and towns and have even vowed to vote against the party.

In Gujarat, the BJP has dropped more than a dozen sitting MPs, including Ministers Darshna Jordosh and Mahendra Munjapara. It has fielded two Union Ministers -- Mansukh Mandavia from Porbandar and Parshottam Rupala from Rajkot -- whose Rajya Sabha tenures ended earlier this month.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is seeking reelection from the Gandhinagar seat, which was represented by L.K. Advani since the mid-90s. The Congress is fighting the election in alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party, which is contesting from Bharuch and Bhavnagar. The party has fielded nominees from 23 seats after the nomination for its Surat candidate was cancelled.

Read live updates here:

May 07, 2024 06:54
Why was the BJP candidate declared winner in Surat? | Explained
The BJP’s candidate from the Surat Lok Sabha constituency in Gujarat has been declared elected unopposed. This follows the rejection of the nomination paper of the candidate set up by the Congress party and the withdrawal of nominations by other candidates.
Why was the Congress candidate’s nomination paper not accepted? What does the Representation of the People Act, 1951 state with respect to requirements for valid nomination?
Rangarajan R. explains in this article
May 07, 2024 06:53
The BJP’s near-complete domination in Gujarat
In December 2022, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stormed to power in Gujarat by winning a record 156 out of 182 seats and a vote share of 52.5%, there was a general sense that there was no need for it to induct leaders from the Opposition. After all, its domination in the State was nearly complete.
Nearly everyday, former legislators or panchayat leaders or leaders associated with cooperatives are inducted into the ruling party. This gives sense that it is impossible for any leader to survive in the political sphere or in public life if they are not with the BJP.
Read more on this here...
May 07, 2024 06:53
In absence of heavyweight challenger, BJP eyes record win for Shah in Gandhinagar LS seat
With the Congress failing to field a strong candidate in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, the BJP is eyeing a record winning margin of more than 10 lakh votes for its sitting MP and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
In the past, this predominantly urban constituency has been represented by BJP stalwarts L K Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. While the seat has been a pocket borough of the BJP since 1989, it did witness interesting contests when the Congress chose high-profile candidates like T N Seshan and Rajesh Khanna.
This time, the Congress has fielded its former Gujarat women’s wing chairperson Sonal Patel against Shah, who had won by more than 5.5 lakh votes in the 2019 polls. Local BJP leaders said the party aims to raise this margin of victory to more than 10 lakh votes.
- PTI