Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], April 19 (ANI): Gujarat Congress President Shaktisinh Gohil on Friday announced that the party will contest bye-elections to the Visavadar and Kadi Assembly seats independently, without partnering with its INDIA bloc ally, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Gohil clarified that the decision was taken unanimously after analysing past electoral trends in the state. 'Gujaratis have never voted for a third front. Here, it is either Congress or the BJP,' he said.

He further added, 'During the last elections, the AAP tried its best. All of the big leaders of the AAP campaigned for the party, but they were still only able to get 10.5-11 per cent of votes and damaged the Congress party in elections.'

'To defeat the BJP, the main opposition party is Congress... We urge the AAP to withdraw their candidates (for the upcoming Visavadar and Kadi by-elections)... The Congress party will fight elections in both seats,' he said.

However, Gohil stressed that both parties would continue to remain part of the INDIA bloc at the national level. 'On a national level, we are all part of the INDIA alliance, and we are one,' he said.

The Visavadar seat in Junagadh district has remained vacant since December 2023 after AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani resigned and joined the BJP. Meanwhile, the Kadi seat in Mehsana, a constituency reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates, fell vacant following the death of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki on February 4.

The Election Commission is yet to announce the dates for the bypolls.

This comes after Congress's AICC session in Gujarat on April 8 and 9, during which the party signalled its intent for an electoral victory in the state where it has been out of power for the last three decades. The Congress also reaffirmed its claim to the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Mahatma Gandhi, both of whom hailed from Gujarat. (ANI)