Gandhinagar: BJP candidate Harshad Parmar emerged victorious in the bypoll for the Umreth assembly seat in Gujarat on Monday, defeating his nearest rival from the Congress party, Bhrugurajsinh Chauhan, by a margin of more than 30,000 votes. Parmar secured 85,500 votes, while Chauhan polled 54,757 votes, according to data from the Election Commission's website.
Details of the Bypoll
The bypoll, which took place on April 23, was necessitated by the death of sitting BJP MLA Govind Parmar on March 6 due to a heart attack. The BJP subsequently fielded his son, Harshad Parmar, marking his first major electoral contest. Congress nominee Chauhan, who served as the president of the Umreth taluka panchayat for three consecutive terms between 2000 and 2015, currently holds the position of the Opposition party's coordinator for the central zone in the state.
Parmar's Reaction
Parmar dedicated his victory to his late father and expressed gratitude to the constituents for voting overwhelmingly in his favor despite the extreme heat. "Today's lead is historic for a bypoll. My late father has worked a lot in this area. So people here decided that they will vote for me. With their blessings, I have won today by a huge margin," Parmar told reporters. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also congratulated Parmar and thanked the people of Umreth for their support.
Congress Alleges EVM Irregularities
Congress candidate Chauhan, however, attributed his defeat to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). "We have doubts about this result, and have also informed the election officer in writing. People enthusiastically voted in favour of the Congress, but due to EVMs, the BJP emerged victorious," Chauhan claimed. The election on April 23 recorded a voter turnout of 59.04 per cent across 306 polling stations in the assembly constituency.
Broader Election Context
This bypoll result comes amid a series of elections across several states. For the latest updates on election results 2026, including live coverage, winner lists, constituency-wise results, party-wise trends, and full coverage for Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry, follow the Times of India. Additionally, readers can check gold and silver rates in Ahmedabad, bank and public holidays in the city, the Ahmedabad Air Quality Index (AQI), and weather updates.
