BJP leading in Gujarat bypolls for 2 Lok Sabha, 4 assembly seats

Early trends show that the ruling BJP is leading in all the six seats - two Lok Sabha and four assembly - which were previously occupied by the Congress party in the by-elections held in Gujarat.

Early trends show that the ruling BJP is leading in all the six seats - two Lok Sabha and four assembly - which were previously occupied by the Congress party in the by-elections held in Gujarat.

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"After two hours of counting of votes for two the Lok Sabha seats of Porbandar and Banaskantha, BJP candidates are far ahead of their nearest Congress rivals," Election authorities said.

The saffron party is also leading in the four assembly constituencies of Jetpur, Limbadi, Dhoraji and Morva Hadaf, where the bypolls were held, along with the two Lok Sabha seats, on Sunday, officials said.

On Porbandar seat BJP's Vitthal Radadia, who was caught brandishing his gun at a toll booth last year when he was a Congress MP and later crossed over BJP, is ahead of his Congress rival Vinu Amipara by over 50,000 votes.

Similarly, in Banaskantha, Haribhai Chaudhary of BJP is also leading with more then 55,000 votes against Krishna Gadhvi. Krishna's husband Mukesh Gadhvi's death had made the seat vacant.

On Jetpur Assembly seat BJP's Jayesh Radadia has gained the lead of 2,610 votes after the tenth round of counting Jagdish Pambhar of Congress.

In Morva Hadaf, Nimisha Suthar of BJP is leading with 6,943 votes against Bhupendrasinh Khant of Congress.

In Dhoraji, the seat which fell vacant after former Congress leader Vithhal Radadia resigned as MLA and defected to BJP, Pravin Mankadia of BJP is leading with 2,515 over Haribhai Patel of Congress.

In the state legislative Assembly of 182 members, at present BJP has 115 MLAs, Congress 57, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) 2, Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) 2 and Independent and JD(U) has one member each member.