Bharuch Lok Sabha Constituency: List of candidates for 2019 LS Polls, past results, all updates

Bharuch is one of the 26 Lok Sabha Constituencies going to poll on April 23 in the state of Gujarat. It consists of the following Assembly constituencies - Karjan, Dediapada, Jambusar, Vagra, Jhagadiya, Bharuch and Ankleshwar. 

A BJP bastion since 1989, it used to be Sonia Gandhi aide Ahmed Patel’s turf where he won in 1977, 1980 and 1984.

BJP’s Mansukhbhai is a four-time sitting MP from Bharuch, after winning a by-election in 1998. In 2014, he beat Congress’ Jayeshbhai Patel by a margin of 153,273 votes.

Meanwhile, Cong candidate Sher Khan Pathan has a litany of charges against him including booth capturing, arson during local bodies polls and attempt to murder, as per the affidavit filed by him with election authorities

Mansukhbhai will be contesting for the fifth term from Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming election against Congress candidate Sherkhan Pathan.

Here is the full list of candidates contesting the Lok Sabha election in 2019 from Bharuch Lok Sabha constituency of Gujarat.

In the affidavit submitted, 37-year-old Pathan mentioned that three FIRs were registered against him between 2010 and 2018.

As per the document, Pathan was accused of booth capturing during the taluka and district panchayat elections held in 2010.

The brief description of the crime mentioned in the affidavit states that Pathan was also accused of stone pelting and setting vehicles on fire during that election.

An FIR about the said crime was registered against him at Valia police station in Bharuch.

Among other offences, Pathan was booked in an attempt to murder case which is pending before a local court since the high court had stayed the proceedings, as per the affidavit.

Pathan was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with armed weapon), 435 (arson), 307 (attempt to murder), 186 (obstructing public servant) and under various sections of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, it stated.

Another FIR was filed against Pathan at Netrang police station in 2015.

As per the description of the crime, Pathan had threatened a person over phone, and was booked under section 171(c) of the IPC which deals with punishment for threatening a voter or a poll candidate.

In 2018, Netrang police booked him under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting) and 365 (kidnapping) of the IPC.

Pathan was never convicted for any of the crimes, as the high court had stayed proceedings in all the three cases.

The battle for Gujarat

Gujarat is a prestige battle for BJP after being cut down to size in the assembly elections in 2017 by a resurgent Congress. It’s Amit Shah and Narendra Modi’s home state, and all eyes will be on Shah after PM Modi declined to contest from Vadodara as he had done in 2014.

The 26 constituencies going to poll in Gujarat are Ahmedabad East, Ahmedabad West, Amreli, Anand, Banaskantha, Bardoli, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Chhota Uaipur, Dahod, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kachchh, Kheda, Mahesana, Navsari, Panchmahal, Patan, Porbandar, Rajkot, Sabarkantha, Surat, Surendranagar, Vadodara and Valsad

A total of 371 candidates are in the fray for the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, all of which will go to polls in a single phase on April 23. 

The maximum number of candidates, 31, are contesting from Surendranagar, followed by 28 in Jamnagar, 26 in Ahmedabad East and 25 in Navsari, it said.

Panchmahal, with six candidates, Kheda and Dahod with seven each, Chhota Udepur with eight and Valsad with nine candidates are the ones with the lowest number of contestants.

While Gujarat traditionally has seen straight fights between the BJP and the Congress, several smaller parties too are in the running this time. All 26 seats from the state were won by the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. It has dropped 10 sitting MPs for the April-May general polls.

The seats where sitting BJP MPs have been replaced are Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad East, Surendranagar, Porbandar, Anand, Panchmahal and Chhota Udepur.

The newly formed Hindusthan Nirman Dal of former VHP leader Pravin Togadia has also fielded its candidate, Amrish Patel, from the Gandhinagar seat.

Polling in all 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held on April 23. Counting of votes will take place on May 23.