The BJP and the Congress are trying to win most of the eight seats where by-polls will be held on 3 November. However, the Congress has to select new candidates for all the eight seats as its sitting legislators had left the party ahead of Rajya Sabha elections.
One of these seats, Abdasa in Kutch has a very interesting electoral history. A candidate who is elected once in this seat is never re-elected. The Congress has had a stronghold in this seat of the Kutch region, given the data of the elections from 1957 to 1999. However, an independent from Kutch won this seat in 1962.
In 1990, BJP candidate Tarachand Chheda won the seat against Congress’ Nimaben Acharya, but in 1995, Nimaben Acharya again contested the seat, defeating BJP’s Tarachand Chheda. The BJP had fielded Jayanti Bhanushali from this seat in the 2007 elections Ibrahim of the Congress won the seat in the 1989 elections and Narendrasinh Jadeja of the BJP in 2002.
After that, Nimaben Acharya of the Congress defected to the BJP and Narendrasinh Jadeja joined the Congress. The BJP fielded Jayanti Bhanushali in 2007 who defeated Narendrasinh Jadeja. In the 2012 elections, Congress’ Chhabil Patel won the election. He defeated BJP’s Jayanti Bhanushali.
However, Chhabil Patel resigned as a Congress MLA and joined the BJP. In the by-elections, Congress’ Shaktisinh Gohil defeated BJP candidate Chhabil Patel. In 2017, the BJP also gave ticket to Chhabil Patel, but he lost the election to Congress’ Pradyumansinh Jadeja. Congress’ sitting MLA Pradyumansinh has joined the BJP and the saffron party has given him a ticket in the by-elections.
But going by the history, not a single candidate has got re-elected from this seat, but the BJP has fielded Pradyumansinh. Three Congress MLAs Nimaben Acharya, Chhabil Patel, and Pradyumansinh Jadeja who have left the Congress joined the BJP.