In Gujarat bypoll, test for Congress ahead of 2027 challenge, BJP eyes big win

5 min readVadodaraUpdated: Jul 13, 2026 07:05 PM IST

BJP candidate Satish Patel filed his nomination after taking out ‘Vijay Vishwas Rally’ from the party's newly inaugurated election office to the Vadodara Collectorate. (Express Photo)

The battle for the Manjalpur Assembly constituency in Vadodara city formally entered campaign mode on Monday with the BJP and the Congress candidates filing their nominations on the last day and holding rallies in a show of political strength for the July 30 by-election.

While the ruling party is seeking to preserve the legacy of eight-time MLA Yogesh Patel and the Congress is viewing the bypoll as an electoral test ahead of the 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections.

The Congress has also pitched it as a contest against what it called “administrative failures” in Vadodara city.

Former Gujarat Minister Bhikha Rabari filed his nomination in the presence of Gujarat Congress working president Amit Chavda, who expressed confidence that the party would wrest the seat from the BJP. (Express Photo)

Former Gujarat Minister Bhikha Rabari filed his nomination in the presence of Gujarat Congress working president Amit Chavda, who expressed confidence that the party would wrest the seat from the BJP. Projecting Rabari as a leader with a “clean image”, Chavda said the Congress would campaign on the former minister’s public record while highlighting civic issues affecting Vadodara.

Launching a sharp attack on the ruling party, Chavda alleged that the BJP’s “triple-engine government” in Vadodara had been marked by corruption and administrative failures. He claimed the city continued to grapple with waterlogging during the monsoon, deteriorating roads and infrastructure, and alleged that residents had suffered losses worth crores during floods because of the government’s failures.

Rabari, relying on his previous stint as an MLA, said that the current condition of Manjalpur reflected the larger state of “neglect” of Vadodara city. “This Assembly constituency, stretching from the Raopura side to other parts of the city, is an area where I have worked for years. I have served as an MLA, a minister and a corporator. During my tenure, we resolved the issues that existed then. But ever since the BJP came to power, local problems have multiplied…,” the Congress candidate said.

“I want to appeal to the people. They know the work I have done here as an MLA, minister and corporator. If elected, I will become their voice and work for them. I am not interested in engaging in political mudslinging or targeting the BJP for the sake of politics. My focus is on what I can do for the people and what my party wants to achieve,” he added.

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Calling the bypoll a “rehearsal” for the 2027 Assembly elections, Chavda asserted that a Congress victory in Manjalpur would send a political message that voters were prepared for a change in government in the next state election.

BJP candidate Satish Patel filed his nomination after taking out ‘Vijay Vishwas Rally’ from the party’s newly inaugurated election office to the Vadodara Collectorate. The BJP’s election office for the Manjalpur bypoll was inaugurated earlier in the day by state BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma, in the presence of state ministers, MPs, MLAs, city BJP office-bearers and party workers.

Before the programme commenced, BJP leaders paid floral tributes to late MLA Yogesh Patel, whose death necessitated the by-election. His son, Rakesh Patel, was also present. Addressing party workers, Satish Patel, a former Vadodara councillor and a former BJP president of the district, said victory from Manjalpur was certain and appealed to the cadre to secure the highest possible polling percentage. He said winning the bypoll would constitute the “true tribute” to the late Yogesh Patel and urged workers to ensure such a decisive victory that the Congress candidate would “forfeit the security deposit”.

Vishwakarma described Yogesh Patel as a popular public representative who remained closely connected with the people throughout his political career. He said Satish Patel had risen through the party organisation as a grassroots worker and expressed confidence that he would carry forward Yogesh Patel’s style of public service.

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Appealing to party workers to make the bypoll “memorable”, Vishwakarma also referred to preserving Vadodara’s Mahashivratri tradition of ‘Shivji Ki Sawari, which was patronised by Yogesh Patel, describing it as an integral part of the city’s cultural identity.

An eight-time BJP legislator, Yogesh Patel represented the Raopura assembly constituency in Vadodara five times between 1990 and 2007 before shifting to the newly-created Manjalpur seat after delimitation. He went on to win the Manjalpur seat in the 2012, 2017 and 2022 assembly elections, scoring eight consecutive victories in the Gujarat assembly over 36 years.

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Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.

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By elections

Congress

Gujarat Assembly election

Gujarat BJP