Congress’ Geniben Thakor Scores Surprise Victory Over BJP’s Rekha Chaudhary in Banaskantha
Gandhinagar, 4th June 2024: Geniben Thakor of the Congress party clinched victory in Gujarat’s Banaskantha Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Rekha Chaudhary by a margin of 30,000 votes. This victory comes as a significant setback for the BJP, which aimed to sweep all 26 seats in Gujarat for the third consecutive time.
Initially, early trends indicated that the Congress was leading on four seats in Gujarat. However, ultimately, Thakor emerged as the sole victor of her party.
Historically, Banaskantha has been a stronghold for the BJP. In the 2019 elections, BJP’s Parbatbhai Patel secured the seat by defeating Congress’s Parthi Bhatol with a massive margin of 3,68,000 votes. The BJP also claimed victory in the constituency in the 2014 elections.
Political analysts attribute Thakor’s success to her strong grassroots connections and substantial support from the influential Thakor community, which holds significant sway in Banaskantha.
The Congress has faced challenges in securing seats in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in both the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls. In 2009, however, the Congress managed to win 11 out of the 26 seats, with the BJP securing 14 seats in Gujarat.
