Gandhinagar, Mar 23, 2025, IANS

Gandhinagar, March 23 (IANS) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has officially nominated its former Gujarat unit chief, Gopal Italia, as the party’s candidate for the upcoming Visavdar Assembly by-election. The announcement was made by AAP’s national general secretary (Organisation) Sandeep Pathak, setting the stage for a crucial electoral battle in the Saurashtra region. The Visavdar seat fell vacant after the resignation of the sitting AAP MLA, who later joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While by-elections are typically held within six months of a seat becoming vacant, the poll process was delayed due to an ongoing court case. With the legal hurdle now withdrawn, the by-election is expected to take place in the coming months. It remains unclear whether the Congress, the main opposition party, will field a candidate or allow AAP to take on the BJP one-on-one. Since the by-election has not yet been formally declared, the BJP has not announced its candidate. However, Italia now has a head start in campaigning, having already been active in Visavdar ahead of his official nomination. Italia, a former police constable turned politician, first made headlines when he hurled a shoe at then Gujarat Minister of State for Home in a dramatic protest in Gandhinagar. A vocal and often polarizing leader, he later rose to prominence within AAP and was appointed the party’s Gujarat unit president. However, his tenure was marred by controversies, including viral videos in which he made remarks about Hindu religious beliefs and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother, sparking political uproar. Ahead of the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections, Italia was seen as a key strategist for AAP, but the party’s underwhelming performance led to his removal as state chief. He has also faced multiple arrests over various protests and allegations. As a Patidar (Patel) leader, he is expected to play the community card in his bid for the Visavdar seat, which has a significant Patidar population. Located in the lion belt of Junagadh district in Saurashtra, Visavdar is primarily an agricultural constituency with a large Patidar voter base. Historically, it has been a battleground for opposition parties. Former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel had chosen Visavdar as his stronghold, but his son Bharat Patel later lost a by-election here. In recent years, Visavdar has consistently elected non-BJP candidates. First, the Congress won the seat, followed by AAP in the 2022 Assembly elections, when the party secured five seats in the state. However, the BJP dominated the Visavdar municipality elections earlier this year, winning all seats. With rural voters playing a crucial role in the Assembly elections, the bypoll is expected to be fiercely contested.