Vadgam is a reserved constituency for the Scheduled Caste (SC) candidate. Besides Dalits, Muslims also form the largest chunk of electorate here. There are other communities like the Thakors, the Darbars and the Chaudharies.
Vadgam (Gujarat): Sitting legislator Jignesh Mewani is again contesting from Vadgam constituency, but this time on the Congress ticket. In the last assembly election, Mewani, however, contested as an independent candidate. The constituency falls in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat. Mewani, who joined the Congress last year, has been appointed as state working president of the party this year.
Elections to the 182-member Gujarat assembly will be held in two phases – on December 1 and 5. The counting will be held on December 8.
Vadgam is a reserved constituency for the Scheduled Caste (SC) candidate. Besides Dalits, Muslims also form the largest chunk of electorate here. There are other communities like the Thakors, the Darbars and the Chaudharies. The Congress has won the seat four times since 1995. Nevertheless, it is not going to be a cakewalk for Mewani in this constituency where the BJP has fielded Manilal Vaghela who has represented Vadgam from 2012 to 2017 as Congress candidate. Vaghela, who contested from Idar seat in 2017 assembly elections and lost to the BJP candidate, joined the BJP in April this year.
The Aam Aadmi Party, a new entrant in the Gujarat turf, has fielded Dalit activist Dalpat Bhatiya from this constituency. Before the 2017 assembly elections, Mewani appealed to other parties not to field any candidate saying that it was a fight against the BJP. As a result, no other parties fielded their candidates from the Vadgam constituency. The presence of the AAP in the contest may make it difficult for Mewani in the upcoming election, say the political observers who are keenly watching the polls in this constituency.
