Ten months have passed since the death of BJP corporator Jayesh Jariwala, and the government has yet to announce a by-election for the vacant seat in Surat Municipal Corporation's Ward No. 20. Typically, by-elections are held within six months for such vacancies, but the government has not adhered to this timeline. As the municipal elections approach the halfway mark, rumors are circulating that the term may conclude with a fractured board, given the unannounced by-election and the silence of the municipality's opposition.

The Surat Municipal Corporation's 2020 elections saw 120 corporators elected from 30 wards. However, Jayesh Jariwala's death on May 22, 2022, left Ward No. 20 with only three councilors instead of four. Municipal rules dictate that elections must be held within six months of a member's resignation or death, but ten months have elapsed since Jariwala's passing.

Despite writing three letters to the government requesting an election for Ward No. 20, the municipality has received no response. It was initially thought that the by-election would coincide with the assembly elections, but the vacant seat remains unfilled. The Municipal Corporation's opposition has remained silent on the issue, raising suspicions that the remaining two and a half years may pass with a fractured board due to the lack of opposition to the BJP's governance.