AHMEDABAD: The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the by-election to Gujarat's Manjalpur Assembly constituency in Vadodara, which fell vacant following the death of eight-time BJP MLA Yogesh Patel.
According to the Election Commission, the election notification will be issued on July 6. Candidates can file nominations till July 13, scrutiny will be held on July 14, and July 16 is the last date for withdrawal of nominations. Polling will be held on July 30, votes will be counted on August 3, and the election process will conclude by August 4.
With the announcement, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force. The BJP, Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party have begun consultations over candidate selection and campaign strategy, while the district election administration has started preparations for the bypoll.
The seat fell vacant after the death of senior BJP leader Yogesh Patel. Earlier this year, the Umreth Assembly seat had also fallen vacant following the death of MLA Govind Parmar. His son Harshad Parmar won the by-election held on May 5, restoring the Assembly's strength to 182. However, Yogesh Patel's death created another vacancy, making the Manjalpur bypoll necessary.
Yogesh Patel was elected from Manjalpur in the 2022 Assembly elections after the BJP retained faith in him despite speculation over his candidature. He won the seat with a comfortable margin.
Popularly known as Yogesh Kaka, Patel won eight consecutive Assembly elections. He first represented the Raopura constituency before shifting to Manjalpur after delimitation, where he continued his winning streak, including victory in the 2022 Assembly polls.
The Manjalpur by-election is expected to witness a contest between the BJP, Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party as political activity gathers pace ahead of polling.
