Vadodara, July 13 (IANS) Congress candidate Bhikha Rabari filed his nomination papers on Monday for the Manjalpur Assembly by-election, with senior party leaders presenting the contest as an opportunity for voters to raise concerns over civic issues, governance and inflation.

Rabari was accompanied to the Vadodara Collector’s Office by Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Chavda, Leader of the Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly Tushar Chaudhary, AICC secretary and Central Gujarat in-charge Ram Kishan Ojha, Vadodara district in-charge Bimal Shah, party office-bearers, workers and supporters after a ‘Vijay Vishwas Sankalp Sabha’ held at the Vadodara City Congress office.

Addressing the media before filing the nomination, Chavda said the by-election had assumed significance beyond a single Assembly constituency.

“The Manjalpur election is not merely an election for one Assembly constituency. It is a fight against the corruption, mismanagement and high-handedness of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s triple-engine government in Vadodara city, where attempts are made to suppress the voice of the people through the misuse of power,” he said.

Chavda said the Congress had chosen Rabari because of his long political and public life. He described the candidate as a former state minister, vice-president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee and a leader who had remained connected with people throughout his public career.

He thanked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, party in-charge Mukul Wasnik, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal and the central leadership for selecting Rabari as the party’s nominee.

Chavda said leaders and workers from across Vadodara, particularly from the Manjalpur Assembly constituency, had welcomed Rabari’s candidature and joined the nomination programme.

Referring to civic issues in Vadodara, Chavda alleged that residents continued to suffer from recurring flooding during the monsoon due to what he described as administrative failures.

“Every monsoon, the Vishwamitri River witnesses man-made floods caused by the BJP’s corruption, resulting in hardship for people and damage to their property,” he said.

He added that corruption, rising prices, unemployment and education would be among the principal issues on which the Congress would campaign.

“We will go to every household, meet every voter, and the people of Vadodara will send a message to the whole of Gujarat and the country by blessing the Congress on the Manjalpur seat that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s corrupt rule will face rejection in 2027,” Chavda said.

Rabari, a senior Congress leader, has previously served as a minister in the Gujarat government and currently holds the post of vice-president of the GPCC.

A long-time party organiser, he has represented the Congress in several organisational roles and has been active in public life for decades.

The Manjalpur Assembly seat fell vacant following the death of eight-time BJP MLA Yogesh Patel on June 2.

The BJP has fielded Satish Patel for the by-election, setting up a direct contest between the two parties in one of Gujarat’s closely watched electoral battles.

The Election Commission issued the notification for the bypoll on July 6. July 13 is the last date for filing nominations; scrutiny will be held on July 14, and candidates may withdraw their nominations until July 16. Polling is scheduled for July 30, and the votes will be counted on August 3.

–IANS

mys/uk