Congress fields ex-MLA Gulabsinh Rajput from Vav against BJP’s Swarupji Thakor

The Vav seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Geniben Thakor’s election to Lok Sabha from Banaskantha constituency

AHMEDABAD: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress on Friday announced their candidates for the upcoming Vav assembly by-election in Gujarat, scheduled for November 13.

The BJP also announced Swarupji Thakor as its candidate for the Vav assembly by-election

The seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Geniben Thakor’s election to Lok Sabha from Banaskantha constituency earlier this year.

The Congress has fielded former MLA Gulabsinh Rajput as its candidate, according to an announcement by AICC general secretary K C Venugopal. Rajput, who previously represented the Tharad Assembly seat in Banaskantha district, will contest as the INDIA bloc candidate, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) deciding against fielding a candidate.

The BJP has named Swarupji Thakor, a long-time party member from Banaskantha. Thakor had previously contested against Geniben Thakor in the 2022 assembly elections from Vav but lost by a margin of 15,601 votes.

AAP Gujarat office bearers had earlier hinted that the party may field a candidate for the Vav bypoll but later decided to support the Congress candidate after a meeting between Congress Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee president Shaktisinh Gohil and AAP Gujarat president Isudan Gadhvi.