Gujarat to see by-elections to six Assembly seats along with the Assembly polls in Maharashtra and Haryana on October 21. Counting will take place on October 24.
The six seats going to by-elections are Radhanpur, Bayad, Kheralu, Amraiwadi, Tharad and Lunawad.
For Radhanpur and Bayad, the by-elections have been necessitated after sitting legislators, Alpesh Thakor and Dhawalsinh Zala, defected from the Congress to the BJP. Both had won the 2017 Assembly polls.
For the remaining four seats — Kheralu, Tharad, Lunavada and Amraiwadi — the sitting legislators won the parliamentary polls, necessitating the by-elections.
Both the BJP and the Congress have started the process to select candidates.
The ruling BJP’s State parliamentary board will meet on Tuesday to select names of potential candidates, which will finally be selected by the national parliamentary board, according to State BJP spokesman Bharat Pandya.
According to the BJP insiders, both Mr. Thakor and Mr. Zala are likely to be fielded by the party from their respective seats.
Special observers
The BJP has appointed senior party leaders including State Ministers as special observers for each of the six seats to ensure victory.
Gujarat Congress spokesman Manish Doshi said the State party unit had recommended names for each of the six seats. Now the party high command would make the final selection.
