Former Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor, who defected to the BJP, has lost to Congress candidate Raghu Desai in bypolls from Radhanpur assembly constituency in Gujarat. Thakor, who was given ticket by the BJP, was trailing Desai from the beginning. As per the latest figures, the BJP and Congress have won three each seats in Gujarat assembly bypolls.
Thakor's close aide Dhavalsinh Zala, who had also defected to the BJP, has also lost from Bayad constituency. Byelections were necessitated in Radhanpur and Bayad following Thakor and Zala's defection to the ruling BJP. Reportedly, Zala lost by more than 700 votes to Congress's Jasu Patel, while Thakor lost by a margin of over 3,300 votes.
So, far, of the six assembly seats to which bypolls were held, Congress has won in Radhanpur, Bayad and Tharad, while BJP tasted victory in Lunawada, Amraiwadi and Kheralu.
Bypolls were held in Tharad, Lunawada, Kheralu and Amraiwadi after the sitting BJP MLAs got elected to the Lok Sabha. Four of these six seats were won by the BJP in the 2017 assembly polls, and the rest two by the Congress. The by-elections have been a boon in disguise for the Congress, which has improved its tally by one.
