As the counting for Morbi Assembly seat is underway, where the recent bridge collapse tragedy claimed at least 141 lives, BJP’s Kantilal Amrutiya appeared on course to win from the constituency in Gujarat, taking an unassailable lead of over 16,000 votes over Congress rival Jaynatilal Patel.
After the end of the ninth round of counting of votes for Morbi seat of Saurashtra region, Mr. Amtrutiya had polled more than 37,500 votes while Mr. Patel got more than 20,000 votes.
The Morbi tragedy acted as a catalyst against incumbent MLA and sitting Minister Brijesh Merja, who lost the seat to his former opponent Kantilal Amrutiya.
Also read: Morbi bridge tragedy: PM Modi emphasises ‘detailed and impartial inquiry’
With videos of Mr. Amrutiya wading into muddy waters of the Machchhu to rescue the victims going viral, the act earned Mr. Amrutiya nationwide praise and the sobriquet of “Morbi hero”.
While Mr. Amrutiya had won from the Morbi segment five times in the past, Mr. Patel lost five times to BJP rivals in the previous elections.
The contest turned triangular this time with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) fielding Pankaj Ransariya, also a Patidar, but he failed to woo voters.
Morbi, dominated by Patidar voters, is considered a traditional stronghold of the BJP. The place came into the limelight after the British-era suspension bridge in the city collapsed into the Machchhu river on October 30.
(With inputs from PTI)
