Surat

As expected, BJP candidate Zankhana Patel has comfortably won the Choryasi assembly seat by-poll with a margin of 43,438 votes leaving far behind her rival Congress candidate.

Voting for Choryasi by-poll was held on January 21. The bypoll was declared here due to death of sitting BJP MLA Rajabhai Patel in last August. Late Shri Patel died in Mumbai hospital due to dengue.

BJP gave ticket to Rajabhai’s daughter Zankhana Patel while Congress gave ticket to a non-Gujarati candidate in view of large number of non-Gujarati migrant laborers in this constituency.

Traditionally, Choryasi is one of the safest seats for BJP. Be it municipality or municipal corporation or taluka or district panchayat, every elected body is with BJP in this constituency area.

The by-poll witnessed not so exciting campaign and lower than 40% polling due to stand-alone nature of election, lack of charismatic candidates and one-sided(pro-BJP) tilt.

Due to death of assembly Speaker Ganpatbhai Vasava’s father, BJP leaders dropped the idea of grand celebration post victory. – DeshGujarat

PTI report:
Surat

BJP candidate Zankhana Patel today won the by-election of Choryasi Assembly seat in Surat by defeating Congress candidate Dhansukh Rajput with a comfortable margin of more than 43,000 votes.

Zankhana Patel (35) received 90,089 votes while Rajput got 46,651 votes, as per the final figures released by election officials after counting ended here this afternoon.

Out of the total 1.48 votes polled on January 21, 1,254 went in favour of NOTA (None Of The Above).

Thirty-eight per cent voter turnout was recorded during the polling to Choryasi Assembly seat, as around 1.48 lakh voters out of total 3.91 lakh registered voters exercised their franchise during the by-election.

The election was necessitated after sitting BJP MLA Rajendra Patel (60), popularly known as Raja Patel, died of dengue at a hospital in Mumbai in August last year.

In total, 26 candidates were in fray, including one each from main political parties – BJP and Congress – and 24 independents.

Gujarat BJP selected Raja Patel’s daughter Zankhana Patel as party’s candidate for the by-election, while Congress gave ticket to 57-year-old Dhansukh Rajput.