Visavadar/Kadi: The counting of votes for the by-elections to two vacant Assembly seats, Visavadar and Kadi in Gujarat, started this morning at 8 am. The outcome is expected to become clear by around noon. Visavadar is located in the Junagadh district in the Saurashtra region, while Kadi lies in North Gujarat.

Update at 1 pm: BJP retains Kadi seat with Rajendra Chavda winning by a margin of over 38,000 votes, while AAP’s Gopal Italia has secured victory for the party in Visavadar with a lead of over 17,000 votes at the end of all 21 rounds of counting

Update at 11:40 am: BJP leads by a margin of 34,597 votes in Kadi Assembly seat. At the end of 15 rounds, BJP has secured 72,507 votes, Congress 37,910 votes, and AAP 1,839 votes.

At the end of 16 rounds in Visavadar, AAP is leading by 13,994 votes, securing 58,514 votes, while BJP has received 45,120 and Congress 4,414 votes.

Update at 11:20 am: At the end of 14 rounds in Visavadar, AAP is in the lead with 50,676 votes, followed by BJP with 40,042 votes and Congress with 4,133 votes.

Update at 11 am: At the end of 12 rounds in Visavadar, AAP’s Gopal Italia leads by 7,232 votes. AAP has received 42,450 votes, BJP 35,218 votes, and Congress 3,855 votes.

Update at 10:50 am: At the end of 11 rounds in Kadi, BJP leads by 21,021 votes; in Visavadar, Gopal Italia leads by 5,600 votes at the end of 11 rounds.

Update at 10:30 am: Rajendra Chavda of BJP leads in Kadi seat with 13,195 votes after 7 rounds. Lead of over 400 votes in Visavadar after 6 rounds.

Update at 10:15 am: BJP takes a lead of 11,958 votes in Kadi after 6 rounds of counting; also leading by over 900 votes in Visavadar after 5 rounds.

Update at 10 am: BJP leading in Kadi with a margin of 10,447 votes after 5 rounds; leading by over 846 votes in Visavadar after 4 rounds.

Update at 9:30 am: BJP’s Rajendra Chavda is leading after the first round in Kadi, while AAP’s Gopal Italia is leading in Visavadar.

Update at 9 am: Counting is in progress, but the result of any round is not out yet, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The by-election in Visavadar was necessitated by the resignation of former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Bhupat Bhayani, who also left the party and joined the BJP. In Kadi, the by-election was held following the death of BJP MLA Karsanbhai Solanki. Visavadar witnessed a triangular contest among BJP, Congress, and AAP, whereas Kadi saw a direct fight between BJP and Congress.

Polling concluded peacefully on Thursday. According to provisional data from the Election Commission of India, Visavadar recorded a voter turnout of 57.80%, and Kadi saw a turnout of 56.89%. Re-polling was conducted in two villages, Malida and Nava Vaghaniya, in the Visavadar constituency on Saturday and concluded without incident.

The by-poll results will decide whether the BJP can increase its strength in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly from 161 to 162 or 163 seats. A total of 16 candidates contested from Visavadar, while 8 were in the fray in Kadi. In addition to BJP, Congress, and AAP, the Shankersinh Vaghela-led Prajashakti Democratic Party also fielded candidates in both seats. Other smaller parties such as Bharatiya Jan Parishad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Party, and Aapki Awaz Party also participated.

The BJP nominated Kirit Patel from Visavadar, AAP fielded its former state unit president Gopal Italiya, and Congress nominated Nitin Ranpariya. Gopal Italiya gained attention following AAP’s early announcement of his candidacy. It remains to be seen whether AAP can retain the seat or whether BJP or Congress will manage to wrest it. Since 2012, Visavadar has traditionally elected opposition MLAs.

In Kadi, the BJP fielded Rajendra Chavda, while Congress nominated former MLA Ramesh Chavda. The Kadi seat is reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates.

This round of by-polls also marked a political shift, as AAP and Congress, despite being alliance partners at the national level, fought separately in Gujarat. The counting process, particularly in Visavadar, is expected to be closely contested until the final round. Due to these by-elections, Gram Panchayat elections in the corresponding Assembly areas of Kadi and Visavadar have been postponed.

Top campaigners for the BJP included Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and State BJP President C.R. Patil. Congress’s campaign was led by state party president Shaktisinh Gohil, while AAP’s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal campaigned in Visavadar. However, the by-polls drew less media attention due to the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.

Kadi had 2.89 lakh eligible voters, and Visavadar had 2.61 lakh. The Visavadar seat is dominated by Leuva Patidar voters in rural areas, while Kadva Patidar voters form the majority in the semi-urban and rural parts of Kadi.