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The Umreth bypoll in Gujarat’s Anand district was necessitated by the death of BJP MLA Govind Parmar. (File Photo)
Two months after the death of veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Govind Parmar necessitated a bypoll in the Umreth Assembly constituency in Gujarat’s Anand district, his son Harshad Parmar retained the seat by securing a thumping victory by over 30,000 votes Monday.
Bagging nearly 59 per cent of the votes, the BJP candidate defeated the Congress’s Bhrugurajsingh Chauhan, who secured 54,757 votes. The BJP, which established a clear lead in the initial rounds of counting, maintained its edge throughout the 22 rounds.
The Umreth seat, carved out after the delimitation merged it with the erstwhile Sarsa constituency, has witnessed a gradual but firm consolidation in favour of the BJP since 2017, when Govind Parmar defeated the NCP’s Jayant ‘Bosky’ Patel by a significant margin. The BJP victory marked a turning point in the region.
Despite a respectable vote share of about 38 per cent, the Congress on Monday could not breach the BJP’s consolidated support base in Umreth. This pattern has remained consistent with recent elections in the region, including the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, when Kshatriya resentment towards the BJP gained significant ground in Anand district.
A leader of the Kshatriya-Thakor community of Anand district who had considerable influence in the cooperative sector, Govind Parmar was elected as an MLA in 1995, 1998, 2017, and 2022. In 1995, he was an independent MLA for Sarsa and was re-elected in 1998 on a Congress ticket. He lost the election in 2002 and in 2007.
Govind Parmar also served as a minister of state (MoS) in the Vijay Rupani Cabinet and served as an MoS for panchayats with an independent charge. He also held the charge of the environment department as an MoS. He had earlier served as president of the Anand district panchayat.
Govind Parmar died on March 6, suffering a heart attack, following a prolonged illness. He was 72.
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On Monday, of the 1,45,212 total votes counted, 1,45,006 were polled through electronic voting machines and 206 were postal ballots, as per the Election Commission’s figures. Of these, 2,335 were polled for “none of the above” (NOTA).
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues. Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground. Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure. Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case). Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions. Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More
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