Tight Race in Vav: Congress Takes the Lead

Congress candidate Gulabsinh Rajput is leading in the Vav assembly by-election in Gujarat's Banaskantha district, ahead of BJP's Swarupji Thakor. The election has seen a significant 70.55% voter turnout and is a three-way contest with independent candidate Mavji Patel. The polls were necessary after MLA Geniben Thakor resigned.

Congress candidate Gulabsinh Rajput has taken a commanding lead in the by-election for the Vav assembly seat in Gujarat's Banaskantha district. He is currently leading against his BJP rival Swarupji Thakor by 1,174 votes. This update comes at the end of the third round of counting, which is meticulously underway amid stringent security at the Government Engineering College in Palanpur.

As the election process proceeds, Rajput has secured 12,361 votes, surpassing Thakor who garnered 11,187 votes so far, according to data released by poll officials. Meanwhile, independent candidate Mavji Patel has attained 6,510 votes, establishing the election as a tightly contested three-sided race.

The by-election, which recorded a 70.55% voter turnout, involves 23 rounds of counting across 321 booths. Necessitated by the resignation of Congress MLA Geniben Thakor, the constituency has traditionally leaned towards Congress, with Thakor securing her seat in 2017 and again in 2022 before her electoral victory to the Lok Sabha. The election also highlights tension within the BJP, as Patel, a former party member, decided to contest as an independent, facing disciplinary action.

(With inputs from agencies.)