Gujarat Legislative Assembly election, 2012

Polls

Elections were held in two phases, the first on 13 December and second on 17 December 2012.

Phase-I

First phase of polling was held on 13 December 2012 witnessed 70.75% of record breaking voting. Within three hours, the voter turnout was 18 per cent and by 1 pm it was 38 per cent. The figure went up to 53 per cent by 3 pm, concluding with 70.75%.

Phase-II

Phase-II of polling was held on 17 December 2012 witnessed voting turnout of 71.85%.

North Gujarat

With 71.85% of Phase-II voting turnout following the Phase-I turnout of 70.75%, the resultant final voting turnout stood at 71.32%.

1980 to 2012 Legislative Assembly Elections statistics in Gujarat

The average turnout percentage in Gujarat had decreased from 64.39% in 1995 to 59.77% during the last four state elections (1995, 1998, 2002, 2007)as per the Election Commission of India statistics.

Gujarat Assembly Elections - 2012 shows a significant change with the turnout reaching 71.32% comparing to the statistics of past six assembly elections since year 1980. Overall, the Gujarat Assembly Elections - 2012 remains a well executed task by the Election Commission, responsible government agencies, all machinery and the associated manpower.

Communicative awareness programmes by the Election Commission for exercising the voting right, in addition with distribution of the Photo Electoral roll among the voters also seem to have played a good role for the higher percentage turned up for the voting. Significantly unlike past elections in the country where there would have been proactive efforts from the contestants and parties to pursue the voters for voting, past few elections in the state of Gujarat shows the rising pattern of voting.

Results

Counting of votes was held on 20 December 2012. Results were as following.

Total Seats: 182 Results declared: 182

BJP lost in 16 seats by the margin of less than 2%. The Congress won 46% seats with a margin of less than 5%.

List of Winning Candidates

Following candidates won election from their respective seats: Keys:   BJP   INC   GPP   NCP   JD(U)   Independent

* = Barad died on 25 January 2016.

2013

Four seats became vacant in 2012-13. Bypolls for them was held by Election Commission in June 2013. All four seats were held by Indian National Congress members. Morva Hadaf MLA Savitaben Khant died in December 2012 while Limbdi MLA Soma Ganda resigned later as he chose continue as a Member of Parliament. Jayesh Radadiya (Jetpur) and Vitthal Radadiya (Dhoraji) resigned as they left Indian National Congress and joined Bharatiya Janata Party in March, 2013. In bypolls, INC lost all four seats and BJP won all of them.

The bypoll to Surat West was held on December 4, 2013 due to death of sitting BJP MLA Kishore Wankawala. BJP candidate Purnesh Modi won against INC candidate D I Patel in result declared on December 8, 2013. It was the first time NOTA (None of the above) button introduced in election in Gujarat. It was used by 2307 voters.

2014

Rapar BJP MLA Vaghjibhai Patel died on January 30, 2014 following heart attack. Lathi MLA Bavku Undhad resigned as he quit INC and joined BJP in January. GPP MLA Keshubhai Patel resigned in February following his ill health. GPP was merged with BJP on 24 February 2014. Nalin Kotadiya who was representing Dhari in assembly, joined BJP along with party. Four more MLAs Rajendrasinh Chavda, Jashubhai Barad, Chhabilbhai Patel and Parbhubhai Vasava quit INC and resigned as they joined BJP in February. Bypolls for all these seven seats were held on April 30 along with Indian general election, 2014. Voting turnout was 74.84% in Somnath, 70.19% in Abdasa, 56.62% in Rapar, 71.87% in Himmatnagar, 56.06% in Visavadar, 64.86% in Lathi and 67% in Mandvi which stood to an average of 65.92% in all seven constituencies. On May 16, 2014, the result of byepolls was declared along with Indian general election, 2014 result. BJP won four while INC won three seats of seven vacant seats. Out of five constituencies which were held by INC before there representatives joined BJP, they retained only one, Abdasa. BJP candidate Bharat Patel, son of former representative Keshubhai Patel, lost to INC candidate Harshad Ribadiya in Visavadar. Shaktisinh Gohil, the former Leader of Opposition, defeated Chhabil Patel in Abdasa.

Following Indian general election, 2014, nine assembly members resigned as they were elected to Loksabha, the lower house of the parliament of India. They all belonged to BJP. Incumbent Chief Minister Narendra Modi resigned as MLA from Maninagar as he won from Vadodara and Varanasi and sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of India. The eight others include Khambhalia MLA Poonam Madam (elected from Jamnagar), Anand MLA Dilip Patel (Anand), Limkheda MLA Jaswantsinh Bhabhor (Dahod), Deesa MLA Liladhar Vaghela (Patan), Matar MLA Devusinh Chauhan (Kheda), Talaja MLA Bharati Shiyal (Bhavnagar), Mangrol MLA Rajesh Chudasama (Junagadh) and Tankara MLA Mohan Kundariya (Rajkot). Byepolls were held on 13 September 2014 which recorded following voters turnout: Limkheda (64%), Maninagar (33.5%), Deesa (59.76%), Tankara (57%), Khambhalia (55.5%), Mangrol (57%), Talja (49%), Anand (57%) and Matar (54.7%). The results of September byepolls were declared on 16 September 2014. BJP retained six seats while lost three seats to INC. Vajubhai Vala, the incumbent speaker of assembly, resigned as the MLA from Rajkot West and as the speaker on 30 August 2014 following his appointment as the Governor of Karnataka. The byepoll for Rajkot West was held on 15 October 2014 and result was declared on 19 October 2014. BJP retained the seat with Vijay Rupani declared winner candidate.