he Aryavarth Express
Agency (Gujarat) : The Congress celebrated a significant victory on Tuesday as Geniben Thakor won the Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat, ending a decade-long dry spell in Gujarat. Thakor secured the seat by a margin of 30,406 votes, defeating BJP’s Rekha Chaudhari.
In the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP had dominated the 2014 and 2019 elections, winning all 26 seats. This year, the BJP is set to win 25 seats, with Banaskantha being the exception. Thakor garnered 6,71,883 votes compared to Chaudhari’s 6,41,477 in a closely contested race.
Expressing gratitude to the Congress workers and voters of Banaskantha, Thakor said, “The people of Banaskantha have given me both vote and note, and I will fulfill all promises made to them.” She acknowledged the support she received, especially through crowdfunded campaign donations, and promised to serve the people as long as she lives. Her campaign slogan, “Banas ni ben Geniben” (translated as “Geniben, the sister of Banaskantha”), resonated with voters.
Thakor, currently a Congress MLA from the Vav Assembly seat, has a history of overcoming strong BJP opponents. She previously defeated BJP heavyweight Shankar Chaudhary in the 2017 assembly election and retained her seat in 2022 by defeating Swarupji Thakor. Despite losing her first assembly election from Vav in 2012 to Shankar Chaudhary, she has since built a reputation for resilience and determination.
Rekha Chaudhary, Thakor’s opponent, is an engineering college professor and first-time candidate. Despite the BJP’s stronghold on Banaskantha in recent elections, Thakor’s victory marks a notable shift.
Thakor’s career has not been without controversy. She has made headlines for her statements, including support for a community diktat banning inter-caste marriages and prohibiting unmarried young women from carrying mobile phones. In 2018, she controversially suggested that rapists should be burnt alive by mobs instead of being handed over to the police.
The BJP had held the Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat for three consecutive terms, including a 2013 bye-election. Congress last won the seat in 2004 and 2009, when Mukesh Gadhvi defeated BJP’s Haribhai Chaudhary.
