Anand, March 30 – Preparations for the Umreth Assembly by-election in Gujarat have gained momentum, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announcing Harshad Parmar as its candidate for the vacant seat and stepping up organizational arrangements ahead of the poll.
The by-election was necessitated following the death of sitting BJP MLA Govind Parmar on March 6, after a prolonged illness, leaving the constituency vacant.
He had represented the seat since 2017 and was re-elected in 2022. Harshad Parmar, his son, has now been given the party ticket.
Party sources indicated that the decision takes into account “the family's popularity and the strong connections established by former MLA Govind Parmar” in the constituency.
The Election Commission has announced that the by-election will be held on April 23, with counting scheduled for May 4.
The constituency has more than 2.4 lakh registered voters, and over 300 polling stations are expected to be set up, with administrative preparations already underway.
As part of its campaign preparations, the BJP has appointed former state Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja as the in-charge for the Umreth by-poll, while former Anand District Panchayat president Hasmukh Patel has been named co-in-charge.
The appointments were made to strengthen coordination and oversee campaign activities on the ground.
The Umreth Assembly constituency, located in Anand district, is one of the 182 seats in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly and forms part of the Anand Lok Sabha constituency.
It is an unreserved seat comprising areas of Umreth taluka and parts of Anand taluka.
According to local electoral assessments, the Thakor-Kshatriya community constitutes around 54 per cent of the electorate in the constituency, making it a decisive voting bloc in the by-election.
While the BJP has announced its candidate and put its campaign structure in place, the Congress has yet to declare its nominee, though it has initiated internal consultations and candidate selection efforts.