Former Vadodara councillor Satish Patel is BJP candidate for Manjalpur assembly bypoll

Ahmedabad, Jul 10 (PTI) The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday nominated former councillor Satish Govindbhai Patel as its candidate for the July 30 bypoll to the Manjalpur assembly seat in Vadodara city. Satish Patel was elected as a councillor of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) for multiple times in the past and also served as chairman of the powerful standing committee of the civic body. He is a former Vadodara district president of the BJP. The by-election to the Manjalpur assembly constituency will be held on July 30, and votes will be counted on August 3, the Election Commission (EC) announced on July 2. According to the schedule announced by the EC, the last date for filing nomination papers is July 13. The by-election was necessitated following the death of sitting BJP MLA Yogesh Patel. The eight-time legislator (79) died in Vadodara on June 2 after a prolonged illness. Satish Patel thanked the BJP's national and Gujarat leadership for reposing faith in him. "I have received the (poll) ticket based on my 32 years of dedicated service to the party. I am truly happy about this. Today, I met with party workers, sought blessings at the Swaminarayan Temple, and offered prayers at the temple built by Yogesh Kaka (Patel)," he told reporters after his nomination was announced by the BJP. If elected, the BJP candidate-designate said, his task will be to ensure that the benefits of various welfare schemes formulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi reach the very last person in society. Party workers are actively striving to achieve this, he insisted. Other prominent parties, including the Congress and the AAP, were yet to announce their candidates for the bypoll. PTI KA PD RSY