Voting is underway in Gujarat for the Manjalpur by-election

File photo for representational purposes only. | Photo credit: C. Venkatachalapathy

Voting for the by-election to the Manjalpur assembly seat in Gujarat’s Vadodara district began on Thursday (30 July 2026), with a vote to decide the fate of two candidates in the fray.

Voting began at 7:00 am and will continue till 6:00 pm while the counting of votes will take place on August 3, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Gujarat said.

The poll was prompted by the death of senior BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Yogesh Patel on June 2 after prolonged illness.

The ruling BJP has fielded former Vadodara Municipal Corporation councilor Satish Govindbhai Patel, while the Congress has nominated its Gujarat vice president and former minister Bhikhabhai Rabari.

According to the CEO’s office, all administrative, security and technical arrangements have been completed to ensure free, fair and transparent voting.

A total of 2.19 lakh citizens including 1,11,645 men, 1,07,847 women and two third gender voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the by-poll.

Elections are held in 260 polling stations set up in 62 locations, with each polling station serving an average of 844 voters.

The Election Commission has introduced several voter-friendly initiatives, including 100% webcasting in all polling stations, mobile deposit facilities for electronic devices, real-time voting monitoring and adherence to the prescribed number of voters in polling stations, officials said.

Manjalpur constituency recorded a voter turnout of 60.15% in the 2022 Gujarat elections.

Yogesh Patel, an eight-time BJP legislator, represented the Raopura Assembly constituency in Vadodara five times between 1990 and 2007 before shifting to the newly created Manjalpur seat after delimitation.

He won the Manjalpur seat in 2012, 2017 and 2022, completing eight consecutive victories in the Gujarat Assembly over 36 years.

Published – 30 Jul 2026 10:46 IST