Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 23 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Gopal Italia won the Visavadar (Gujarat) Assembly by-election by a margin of 17,554 votes on Monday.

The party had fielded Gopal Italia, a former Gujarat party chief, as its candidate for the Visavadar Assembly bypolls.

The AAP party workers celebrated the election results in Gujarat, as Gopal Italia defeated BJP's Kirit Patel by 17,554 votes, garnering 75,942 votes in total.

The Visavadar seat fell vacant after Bhayani Bhupendrabhai Gandubhai resigned.

Visavadar assembly constituency is part of Junagadh district and a segment of Junagadh Lok Sabha constituency.

Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday congratulated the people of Gujarat and Punjab after the party's spectacular performance in the bypolls in Visavadar and Ludhiana West and said that people rejected Congress and BJP in both the constituencies.

Gujarat AAP leader Anup Sharma spoke to ANI after Italia's victory and said, 'The people of Visavadar saw the false promises made by the BJP. All their fake promises have been revealed, and Gopal Italia did not win alone. Today, every member of the Aam Aadmi Party is feeling this victory, and this lead will increase. This is a 'khasa tamasha' to the BJP by the people of Gujarat.'

Following Gopal Italia's victory in the Visavadar by-election, Gujarat AAP president Isudan Gadhvi said that AAP will form the government in 2027.

Gadhvi said this is a victory for the people of Visavadar, including farmers, labourers, and unemployed youth.

He claimed it marks the beginning of AAP's rise in Gujarat and further emphasised that AAP, not Congress, can challenge the BJP's dominance in the state.

In a post on X, AAP Gujarat expressed its gratitude, stating, 'Many thanks to the people of Visavadar, Bhensan, and Junagadh villages for choosing the politics of work of the Aam Aadmi Party.'

Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj called it a 'massive victory' and a 'terrific bounce back,' emphasising that despite setbacks, AAP's influence remains strong in key regions.

Speaking to ANI, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, 'This is a massive victory for AAP. Political analysts were saying that AAP would finish as a party. But after the loss in Delhi, AAP is winning Ludhiana West (Assembly by-elections), and we are also winning a by-election in AAP's stronghold of Gujarat by a huge margin. I think this is a major victory. A few people used to say that Arvind Kejriwal would be sidelined in national politics; this is a terrific bounce back.'

Counting for the assembly by-elections held in five constituencies in four states - Gujarat, Kerala, West Bengal, and Punjab - began on Monday at 8 am.

Two assembly bypolls were held in Gujarat, one each in Kerala, West Bengal, and Punjab, on Tuesday (June 19).

Polling took place at the Assembly constituencies of Kadi (SC) and Visavadar in Gujarat, Nilambur in Kerala, Ludhiana West in Punjab and Kaliganj in West Bengal. (ANI)