Junagadh

Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) has snatched away Talala assembly seat in Saurashtra region of Gujarat from Congress fold.

This victory is very crucial for party. It’s a booster dose for cadre. It’s arrival of good news from a region where BJP was in need of it.

Talala is considered traditionally a Congress seat. Congress won Talala in last two assembly polls(2007 and 2012) and in every other assembly poll barring just two in 1995 and 2002. However this time, Congress has lost by-poll.

The seat was vacant due to sudden death of sitting Congress MLA Jashubhai Barad. Congress fielded his brother Bhagwanbhai Barad who is former MLA. BJP on the other hand fielded its former MLA from Talala Govindbhai Parmar.

After Congress’s upper hand in initial rounds, BJP took over rival party in last rounds and emerged victorious with margin of 2,441 votes.

Victorious BJP candidate Govindbhai said, “BJP govt’s development works are not known to large section of voters in Talala as of now. In future we will inform them about our government’s works and bring them to our fold.”

Updated story submitted at 3.00 pm

In a major morale booster for the ruling BJP in Gujarat (on a day when it has also risen to power in the eastern state of Assam and fared well in Kerala, West Bengal and Tamilnadu assembly polls), its candidate Govind Parmar today defeated Congress candidate Bhagwan Barad (younger brother of the then Congress MLA Jasu Barad whose demise in January this year necessitated the by poll ) by a margin of 2,441 votes in a nail biting finish.

According to collector Gir Somnath Mr Ajay Kumar Mr Parmar got 63899 votes while Mr Barad got 61,458.

The number of NOTA votes was 1,390.

Of the total six candidates in the fray four were independents whose security deposit was forfeited. Of them Bagas Chotiyara got 706 votes, Ramji Parmar 613, Hanifaben Majgul 252 and Hasanbhai Musagara 690.

1,27,622 or 63.66 % of the total 2,03,003 voters of the constituency had exercised their franchise for the by-polls held on May 16.

The results, though won’t have any effect on the power equation in the assembly, has given a major thumbs up and morale boosting dose for the party before the next years assembly polls.

The Congress candidate looking quite comfortable till 12th round, after which the roller coaster kind of ups and downs started. Mr Parmar wrested the seat from Congress in the penultimate 16 th and final 17 th round.

Govind Parmar had earlier won the Talala seat in 2002 by defeating the then Congress candidate Jashu Barad. In the last election in 2012 Shri Jashu Barad had defeated him with a thin margin.

In 2007 polls Shri Baghwanji Barad had also defeated Shri Parmar on this seat.

– DeshGujarat