Gujarat High Court Clears Path for Visavadar Bypoll After Petition Withdrawal

The Gujarat High Court has dismissed an election petition challenging Bhupendra Bhayani's 2022 victory in Visavadar, allowing for a by-election. BJP leader Harshad Ribadiya withdrew the petition after Bhayani, the winner who later joined BJP, resigned. Previously withheld, the by-election can now proceed.

The Gujarat High Court has cleared the way for a by-election in Visavadar by dismissing an election petition filed by BJP's Harshad Ribadiya. This petition challenged the 2022 assembly victory of AAP's Bhupendra Bhayani, who subsequently joined the BJP.

After a year in office, Bhayani resigned from his MLA position, prompting Ribadiya to legally contest the previous election results. However, the plea was withdrawn when it was established that Bhayani's resignation was already submitted and accepted.

The conclusion of this legal issue now enables the Election Commission to announce a by-election for the vacant Visavadar seat that had remained pending due to the legal proceedings.

(With inputs from agencies.)