Gujarat Assembly elections 2012: Congress retains hold over Charotar

Bags 17 out of 27 seats in Kheda, Anand, Panchmahals and Dahod districts in central Gujarat Congress tightened its hold over parts of central Gujarat as it swept the Gujarat Assembly elections 2012 in Kshatriya-dominated Kheda and Anand constituencies and in tribal Panchmahals districts but suffered losses in its bastion Dahod. The party wrested three seats from the BJP in the region while conceding two to the saffron party. Congress stalwart Shankersinh Vaghela and BJP leader Jetha Bharvad were among prominent winners from the region. Of the 27 seats in the four district, 17 went to the Congress while the BJP bagged the remaining 10. In the 2007 elections, the Congress-NCP alliance had won 18 out of 30 seats while 12 were with the BJP. The opposition party had best results in Kheda and Anand districts where it won five seats each in the twin districts of the Charotar region. The party increased its count to four seats in Panchamahals by bagging Morvahadaf. This figure of Panchamahals is one more than the 2007 elections. BJP won four seats in the twin districts and lost Mehmedabad constituency in Kheda and Sojitra in Anand. In Kheda, the Congress won from Balasinor, Kapadvanj, Thasra, Mahudha and Mehmedabad while BJP retained Nadiad and Matar. In Anand, Congress candidates bagged Borsad, Sojitra, Anklav and Petlad seats while its ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) pocketed Umreth. Gujarat NCP chief Jayant Patel alias Boskey defeated Govind Parmar of the BJP by 30,119 votes. In Panchmahals, the Congress won Godhra, Morvahadaf, Lunawada and Santrampur while Shehra, Halol and Kalol went to the BJP.