Samajwadi party takes entry into Gujarat assembly, Kandhal Jadeja wins Kutiyana

Kutiyana constituency in Porbandar is expected to cause a shift in the trends. Kandhal Jadeja, a two-term MLA, who is fighting on the Samajwadi Party ticket, is running ahead in early trends.

Samajwadi Party leader Kandhal Jadeja, has won in Porbandar's Kutiyana constituency in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly election. He was also declared winner in 2012, 2017 fighting on Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) tickets.

Kutiyana: MLA Kandhal Jadeja addresses a public meeting ahead of Gujarat Assembly elections at a village in Kutiyana constituency in Gujarat. (PTI)

This time around he faced Dheliben Maldebhai Odedara of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Bhimabhai Danabhai Makvana of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress' Nathabhai Bhurabhai Odedara.

At 2 pm, Jadeja has nearly 49,522. The BJP candidate is second with around 28,900, while the AAP candidate is third with around 17,200. The Congress is a distant fourth with less than 6,800 votes so far.

Who is Kandhal Jadeja?

Kandhal Jadeja is the son of the late 'godmother' Santokben Sarmanbhai Jadeja. His two earlier wins from this seat were on tickets from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) but he was denied the ticket this time.

In 2017, he secured 59,406 votes and in 2012 he won with 61,416 votes.

On being asked about the ticket denial, Jadeja has said, "Nobody knew about NCP when I brought it here in 2012. I contested and won twice. People voted on my name."

"I resigned from the party, everybody followed and resigned. NCP is finished in Gujarat. I’ve now hopped on a bicycle," Jadeja told news agency ANI.

The BJP candidate has accused Kandhal Jadeja of threatening people to vote in his favour. "I don’t threaten anyone. I appeal to my voters to vote for me if they like me. Kandhal Jadeja threatens people to vote,” she told ANI.