Gujarat: Congress announces Bhikhabhai Rabari as Manjalpur candidate for by-elections
New Delhi, July 12
Congress announced Bhikhabhai Rabari as a candidate for the Manjalpur Assembly by-elections in Gujarat on Sunday.
According to a release from the All India Congress Committee (AICC), Rabari's candidacy was approved by the Congress president, Mallikarjun Kharge.
This follows the Election Commission of India's (ECI) formal notification on July 6 for the conduct of by-elections to three key Assembly constituencies across Bihar, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh. According to the Commission, polling for these seats is scheduled to be held on July 30.
The bye-elections will be conducted for the 182-Bankipur constituency in Bihar, the 145-Manjalpur constituency in Gujarat, and the 22-Datia constituency in Madhya Pradesh. As per the schedule released by the ECI, the process will begin with the filing of nominations, for which the last date has been fixed as July 13.
The scrutiny of the nomination papers will take place on July 14, while candidates wishing to withdraw their names from the contest can do so by July 16. The commission stated that the voting will take place on July 30, from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and the entire election process is mandated to be completed by August 4, 2026.
In Bihar, the by-election for the Bankipur seat was necessitated following the resignation of the sitting member, Nitin Nabin, on March 30, 2026. The seat has remained vacant since his departure from the state legislative assembly.
In Gujarat, the vacancy in the Manjalpur Assembly constituency arose following the unfortunate demise of Yogeshbhai Narandas Patel on June 2, 2026. The ECI has called for the by-poll to fill the seat for the remainder of the assembly's term.
Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh, the Datia seat became vacant due to the disqualification of Rajendra Bharti on April 2, 2026. The notification cited that the disqualification was under the provisions of Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and Article 191(1)(e) of the Constitution of India.
The respective state governments have published the ECI's notification in their extraordinary gazettes to inform the general public and stakeholders.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Just another by-election but these seats matter for the Opposition to show strength. Congress should focus more on ground-level issues in Gujarat rather than just candidate announcements. The people want development, not just slogans!
ECI has set a tight schedule - nominations end July 13, voting on July 30. That's efficient democratic functioning. But with three states involved, hope there is proper security arrangements in these constituencies. Bankipur in Bihar and Datia in MP will also be interesting contests.
It's sad that Manjalpur by-poll is due to the passing of sitting MLA Yogeshbhai Patel. My condolences to his family. Such vacancies remind us of how temporary life is. Hope the new candidate will carry forward the development work for the constituency.
Congress needs to do more than just announce candidates. Where is the manifesto for these by-elections? What are their promises for Manjalpur voters? The party seems reactive rather than proactive. Voters in Gujarat are smart - they want concrete plans, not just opposition rhetoric.
Interesting that the Datia seat in MP fell vacant due to disqualification under Section 8 of the RPA Act and Article 191. Wonder what the specific case was about. These constitutional provisions ensure clean candidates stay in power. Good to see the system working! 👍
N < We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.