VADODARA, Aug 3 — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Satish Patel took an early lead as vote counting began on Monday morning for the Manjalpur Assembly by-election in Gujarat.

According to figures released by the Election Commission of India as of 9:00 AM, Patel secured 6,287 votes, establishing an initial lead of 3,519 votes over his primary opponent, Congress candidate Bhikha Rabari, who had pulled in 2,768 votes.

The vote-counting process is taking place at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in the Makarpura area of Vadodara under tight security arrangements managed by local election authorities.

The by-election was triggered by the death of veteran BJP leader and former state minister Yogesh Patel, who had represented the Manjalpur constituency for multiple terms.

Voting took place on July 30 and concluded peacefully, recording a final turnout of 37.50%—a significant drop from the 60.15% participation rate recorded during the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections.

The contest is primarily a direct showdown between the BJP's Patel, a former Vadodara Municipal Corporation councillor and former BJP district president, and Congress nominee Rabari, who serves as the party's Gujarat vice-president.

A total of 2,19,494 eligible voters were registered across 260 polling stations in the constituency. Voting proceeded with extensive monitoring, including 100% live webcasting and continuous CCTV surveillance.

Apart from a brief altercation outside a polling booth at Panchsheel Vidyalaya over minor Model Code of Conduct allegations—which police quickly dispersed—polling remained peaceful.

Counting remains underway, and final official results will be announced by the Election Commission once all rounds are completed.