Geniben Nagaji Thakor, a Congress leader, is currently in the lead for the Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat with a margin of 33,801 votes.
Banaskantha is unique as it is the only Gujarat constituency where both the BJP and Congress have nominated women candidates. Geniben Nagaji Thakor, a two-term Congress MLA, earned the moniker ‘giant killer’ after defeating the sitting assembly speaker in 2017.
On the other hand, BJP’s Rekhaben Hiteshbhai Chaudhari, an engineering professor making her electoral debut, is lagging.
Even as the counting was underway, Geniben Thakor said it was a victory for the people of Banaskantha.
“Satyamev Jayate,” she said in her first reaction after gaining a comfortable lead.
“Heartiest congratulations to our sister Geniben for winning from Banaskantha by more than fifteen thousand votes,” state Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil said on X.
Notably, several BJP heavyweights are also leading by substantial margins in the state: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is ahead by a significant margin of 7,11,908 votes.
Additionally, Union Ministers Mansukh Mandaviya and Parshottam Rupala are leading by margins exceeding 3.80 lakh and 4.65 lakh votes respectively. State BJP president CR Paatil is also leading by a significant margin of over 6.78 lakh votes.
The BJP is aiming for a third consecutive term in power, while the Opposition, under the banner of the INDIA bloc, is determined to challenge and potentially overturn the ruling party’s dominance.
Exit polls have largely forecasted another term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with some even suggesting a significant two-thirds majority for the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
However, the Congress party and its allies have dismissed these exit poll results as “orchestrated” and mere “fantasy”, maintaining their stance that the opposition INDIA bloc will secure victory and form the next government at the Centre.
The Lok Sabha elections, which lasted seven phases, were held for the 543 seats in the lower house of Parliament.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 04 Jun 2024, 04:55 PM IST