Overview

• C.R. Paatil has led high-energy rallies in Visavadar and Kadi, framing the June 19 contests as a do-or-die fight for BJP’s credibility in Gujarat.
• The Visavadar seat fell vacant when AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani resigned and joined the BJP, setting up a three-way contest between BJP’s Kirit Patel, AAP’s Gopal Italia and Congress’s Nitin Ranpariya.
• Kirit Patel highlights his 16 years of work in the region, citing efforts in education, health and civic infrastructure as evidence of his commitment.
• Paatil invokes Operation Sindoor—a retaliatory missile strike ordered by PM Modi after the Pahalgam attack—to reinforce the BJP’s national security narrative.
• In Kadi, Congress MLA Karshan Solanki’s defection to the BJP opened another battleground, where BJP’s Rajendra Chavda aims to set a record turnout against opposition rivals.