BJP sweeps South Gujarat winning 33 seats, Congress-AAP settles for one each

Surat : Putting all the predictions at rest, the BJP has swept the South Gujarat in the Gujarat Elections 2022 by  improving its tally of seats from 25 seats in 2017 elections to 33 seats. Congress was able to retain the Vansad (ST) seat, while the AAP snatched away the Dediapada (ST) seat from the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) in the Narmada district.

In Surat district, BJP managed to win all the 16 assembly seats—in 2017, Congress won the Mandvi seat. It was a big upset for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was projecting itself as the main contender of the BJP in Gujarat with its top leaders such as Alpesh Kathiriya, Gujarat AAP chief Gopal Italia, former Patidar agitation leader Dharmik Malaviya, Manoj Sorathiya, Ram Dhaduk losing from the Patidar dominated Varachha Road, Katargam, Karanj, Olpad, and Kamrej seats were defeated with huge victory margins by the BJP candidates.

In Katargam assembly constituency, Gujarat AAP chief Gopal Italia was defeated by BJP’s sitting MLA and State Urban development minister Vinu Moradiya with over 35,000 votes. Similarly, AAP’s Alpesh Kathiriya was defeated by BJP’s sitting MLA Kishorebhai Kanani alias Kumar Kanani with about 16,000 votes.

AAP’s Dharmik Malaviya and Ram Dhaduk also lost from the Olpad and Kamrej constituencies.

In Mandvi (ST) seat, Congress’ sitting MLA Anand Chaudhari was defeated by BJP’s Kuwarji Halpati with a margin of 19,000 votes.

In South Gujarat, the Congress has been able to retain Vansda assembly seat. Congress’ sitting MLA, Anant Patel won with a huge victory margin of about 28,000 votes against BJP’s Piyush Patel.

For the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), it was a major upset with the ace tribal leader Chhotu Vasava who contested from the Jhagadia assembly seat for the seventh consecutive term was defeated by BJP’s Ritesh Vasava. Ritesh Vasava is the nephew of BJP’s  heavyweight leader and former Gujarat Speaker, Ganpat Vasava. Another  upset for the BTP came from Dediapata (ST) seat in Narmada District where the AAP candidate Chaitar Vasava won with the margin of 26,000 votes.

BTP President Mahesh Vasava won the Dediapada seat in 2017 election, while his father Chhotu Vasava had won the Jhagadia seat in poll alliance with Congress. This time around, the BTP has been wiped out from the tribal belt by losing both the seats in Dediapada and Jhagadia to the BJP and AAP.

A political analyst and research scholar on condition of anonymity said, “AAP has emerged as a strong third force in Gujarat politics. AAP has pip Congress to become the second leading party in  the State. The Patidar voters have not accepted the Congress, rather they have voted AAP as the option to the BJP”