Vadodara: With voting day for the Umreth assembly seat byelection scheduled for April 23, political activity intensified on Saturday as Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel campaigned for BJP candidate Harshad Parmar. Election officials said nominations were filed and voter awareness drives gathered momentum across the constituency.Addressing a rally in Umreth, Patel paid tribute to former MLA Govind Parmar, whose death necessitated the bypoll, and said the late leader had built a strong grassroots connect during his long political career. Urging party workers to ensure a decisive victory for Harshad Parmar, the chief minister credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for maintaining stability in the country despite challenging global conditions, adding that such anxiety was not prevalent in India. The BJP has fielded Harshad Parmar, son of the late MLA. The Congress on Friday announced Bhrugurajsinh Chauhan as its candidate, setting the stage for a direct contest. According to election authorities, three candidates submitted six nomination forms on Saturday. Maulik Kumar Vinodchandra Shah filed his nomination as a candidate of the Bharatiya National Janta Dal, while BJP candidate Harshad Govind Parmar submitted four forms. Another BJP candidate, Vimal Kumar Kantilal Patel, filed one nomination form. Officials said nominations can be filed until April 6 at 3 pm. Scrutiny of forms will take place on April 7 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is April 9. Efforts to boost voter participation are also underway. Under the voter awareness (SVEEP) programme, rangoli competitions were organised in high schools across Umreth taluka to encourage electoral participation. District officials said the initiative aims to motivate voters from 46 villages in the constituency to exercise their franchise.
