Gujarat Elections 2022: From Godhra to Morbi - 25 key VIP seats to watch out for

Gujarat Elections 2022: The stage is set for the two-phase polls in Gujarat’s 182 assembly constituencies with the key contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress along with the latest kid on the block – the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The two-phase elections will be held on December 1 and 5 and the counting of votes will take place on December 8.

From Godhra to Morbi to Porbandar, here are 25 key seats to watch out for in the Gujarat assembly elections 2022:

Here are key VIP seats to watch for this assembly elections:

1. MANINAGAR

A BJP bastion since 1990s in this Ahmedabad city constituency, Maninagar has a significant concentration of urban Hindu voters. Not just that, PM Narendra Modi won the Maninagar seat in 2002, 2007, and 2014 when he was Gujarat's chief minister. Suresh Patel of the BJP presently holds the seat.

2. GHATLODIA

The seat has a substantial number of Patidar voters. The community has significant political clout in the state and has provided two chief ministers, including the present CM Bhupendra Patel, and earlier Anandiben Patel.

3. MORBI

Morbi suspension bridge (Pic: ANI)

The recent bridge collapse, which claimed 135 lives, has drawn attention to this Patidar-dominated constituency. In 2017, the five-term MLA Kanti Amrutiya of the BJP lost elections to Congress’ Brijesh Merja at the height of the Patidar movement.

4. RAJKOT WEST

After being elected chief minister for the first time in October 2001, Narendra Modi won this seat in February 2002. Between 1980 and 2007, BJP veteran Vajubhai Vala served six terms in this seat. In 2002, he handed it up to Modi.

5. GANDHINAGAR NORTH

Gandhinagar North constituency was carved out in 2008. In 2012, BJP's Ashok Patel won with a thin margin of over 4,000 votes. In 2017, Congress leader C J Chavda defeated Patel with nearly 4,700 votes.

6. AMRELI

From 1985 until 2002, BJP candidates won the Amreli district. Paresh Dhanani of the Congress stole it away from the BJP in 2002. Dileep Sanghani of the BJP defeated him in 2007, but Dhanani reclaimed it in 2012 and won it again in 2017.

7. PORBANDAR

This Mer and Koli-dominated constituency has long seen competition between Arjun Modhwadia of the Congress and Babu Bokhiria of the BJP. In 2017, Bokhiria narrowly defeated Modhwadia, a former opposition leader and head of the state Congress, by 1,855 votes.

8. KUTIYANA

Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party holds only this seat in Gujarat. Kandhal Jadeja defeated the BJP in 2012 and 2017.

9. GONDAL

The seat is now held by Geetaben Jadeja, a member of the BJP, and is well-known for the political conflict between the Patel and Rajput tribes.

10. MEHSANA

A BJP stronghold since 1990 and a seat with a Patidar majority. From here, the BJP politician and former deputy chief minister Nitin Patel won in 2012 and 2017.

11. VARACHHA

Kishor Kanani, a former minister of Gujarat, won on the BJP ticket from here in 2012 and was successful in keeping it in 2017.

12. JHAGADIA

Since 1990, Chhotu Vasava, the founder of the Bharatiya Tribal Party, has won this seat with a predominance of tribals. 

13. ANAND

Currently held by Kanti Sodha Parmar of the Congress, who lost to BJP candidates in 2012 and a 2014 by-poll but won in 2017.

14. PAVI JETPUR (ST)

Sukhram Rathva of the Congress is the leader of opposition in this reserved seat in Chhotaudepur district.

15. JASDAN

One of the tallest Koli politicians in the state, Kunvarji Bavalia of the BJP, now holds this position. Bavalia served as a Congress MLA five times until deciding to change parties after winning in 2017.

16. DARIAPUR

This Ahmedabad city seat was established in 2012 and is controlled by Muslims. Since then, Gyasuddin Shaikh of Congress has been victorious.

(Pic: Gyasuddin Shaikh MLA Twitter handle)

17. JAMALPUR-KHADIA

A Muslim-dominated seat in Ahmedabad formed in 2012 when the BJP won due to a division of Muslim votes between Congress and independent candidate Sabir Kabliwala, who is now AIMIM's Gujarat president. In 2017, Congress won the seat. This time, AIMIM is likely to field Kabliwala, a sign of trouble for the Congress.

18. CHHOTA UDAIPUR (ST)

 Since 2012, Mohansinh Rathva, an 11-time MLA and veteran of the Congress, has had success here. Rathva has now made his retirement announcement.

19. BHARUCH

A seat where there are a lot of Muslim voters. Since 1990, BJP has had success here.

20. GODHRA

Another district with a significant Muslim population. C K Raulji, a senior Congress politician, won this seat in 2007 and 2012. Then, in 2017, he joined the BJP and defeated Congress.

21. BHAVNAGAR RURAL

Since 2012, Purshottam Solanki, a powerful BJP politician from Koli, has been successful from here.

22. VADGAM (SC)

With assistance from Congress, the young Dalit politician Jignesh Mevani won the election in 2017 as an Independent.

(Pic: Jignesh Mivani Twitter handle)

23. UNJHA

The Mehsana district includes Vadnagar, the hometown of Modi. In a significant upset in 2017, Asha Patel of the Congress defeated Narayan Patel of the BJP. In 2019, she joined the BJP and won the by-polls.

24. RADHANPUR

Alpesh Thakor, an OBC leader, won in 2017 on a Congress ticket but quit in 2019 to join the BJP. In the by-poll, Raghu Desai of Congress defeated him.

25. LIMBAYAT

Sangita Patil of the BJP has been successful here since 2012. The seat is part of the BJP leader in Gujarat CR Paatil's Navsari Lok Sabha constituency.

{With PTI inputs}

Click Here For Latest Updates On Stock Market | Zee Business Live