Ahmedabad, March 12 – The Gujarat High Court has resolved an election petition challenging the 2022 assembly election victory of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Bhupendra Bhayani from the Visavadar constituency. This decision paves the way for a by-election in the constituency, which has remained vacant since December 2023.
As per agency report, Bhayani resigned from his position and joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), leaving the seat unoccupied. The election petition was initially filed by BJP leader Harshad Ribadiya, who had contested against Bhayani in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections but lost.
Justice Hasmukh Suthar of the Gujarat High Court disposed of the petition on Monday after Ribadiya withdrew his plea, which he had filed in February 2023. The withdrawal was based on the fact that Bhayani had already submitted his resignation to Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary on December 13, 2023.
The Election Commission had conducted by-elections for five out of the six assembly seats left vacant due to resignations by MLAs elected in December 2022. However, the Visavadar seat had been left out due to the pending election petition.
With the legal hurdle now removed, the by-election process for the Visavadar constituency is expected to proceed.
