Kadi/Visavadar: Polling began on Thursday morning for the by-elections to the Visavadar and Kadi assembly constituencies in Gujarat, where candidates from the BJP, Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are contesting. Voting started at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm, according to election officials.

Update at 5  pm: 54.61% voter turnout in Visavadar, Kadi records 54.49% turnout at 5 pm, as per ECI data.

Update at 3 pm: As per the Election Commission of India (ECI), voter turnout stood at 46.33% in Visavadar and 47.67% in Kadi, up from 39.25% and 34.79% respectively recorded at 1 PM.

Meanwhile, a clash erupted between BJP and AAP workers in Viraval village during the Visavadar Assembly by-election. Police intervened after a dispute over removing a table escalated.

Update at 11 am: 28.15% voter turnout in Visavadar, Kadi records 23.85% turnout at 11 am, as per ECI data.

Update at 9 am: the voter turnout as per the Election Commission of India at 9 am stands at 12.10% in Visavadar and 9.05% in Kadi.

The Gujarat government has announced a public holiday in both constituencies to facilitate voting. As per the Chief Electoral Officer, polling is being conducted through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at 294 booths in each constituency.

The Visavadar seat in Junagadh district has remained vacant since December 2023 after AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani resigned and joined the BJP. The BJP has nominated Kirit Patel for the bypoll, while the Congress has fielded Nitin Ranpariya. Former AAP state president Gopal Italia is also contesting the seat.

Although the BJP dominates Gujarat politics, it hasn’t won Visavadar since 2007. Party leaders are optimistic about ending this 18-year drought. In the 2022 elections, Bhayani defeated BJP’s Harshad Ribadiya, a former Congress MLA, by 7,063 votes.

Meanwhile, the Kadi seat in Mehsana district, reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates, has been vacant since February 4 after the death of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki. The BJP has nominated Rajendra Chavda, while the Congress has fielded former MLA Ramesh Chavda. AAP has also entered the race with Jagdish Chavda.

Both seats are witnessing triangular contests. The counting of votes will take place on June 23.

Currently, in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, the BJP holds 161 seats, Congress 12, AAP 4, with one seat held by the Samajwadi Party and two by independents. DeshGujarat