Gujarat Bypoll Exposes Succession Tensions in Manjalpur After Patel’s Death

For the first time since the 2008 delimitation created the Manjalpur Assembly seat in Vadodara, the Gujarat constituency will hold bypolls on July 30 without Yogesh Patel on the ballot. The veteran BJP leader, who secured three landslide wins and served eight terms in the state assembly, died on June 2, triggering the contest and raising questions about his successor in a seat long tied to him. For the BJP, the by-election involves more than retaining a safe seat. Patel, aged 77 in 2022, received an exception to party norms against fielding candidates over 75, after internal debate within the Vadodara unit. His nomination came late and surprised some leaders, yet he won by over a lakh votes. Patel maintained strong ties to state leadership and the prime minister, and hosted an annual Shivratri event attended by chief ministers. His influence spanned communities in a seat with diverse groups including OBCs, Patidars, Brahmins, Vaniyas and Marathis. With his passing, factional rivalries have surfaced, with Patidar, OBC and upper-caste aspirants competing. Local BJP figures including Jayprakash Soni, Smruti Bhave and Vijay Shah are viewed as frontrunners. Patel began in Congress in the 1970s, joined other parties, and entered the BJP in 1995. He promoted religious events and occasionally challenged his own government on local issues. The Congress views the contest as an opportunity.