Gujarat election 2022: 2 Christian candidates slug it out for 1st time in Vyara seat

For the first time in the tribal reserved Vyara Assembly seat, there is a contest between two Christian candidates, one fielded by the ruling BJP and the other by the opposition Congress.

The seat reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates goes to polls in the first phase of Gujarat elections on December 1.

Vyara gave Gujarat its first tribal chief minister Amarsinh Chaudhary.


The Congress has given the ticket to its sitting MLA Punabhai Gamit. And, for the first time, the BJP has given ticket to Mohan Konkani, a Christian candidate, to take on the four-time legislator Gamit.

Exuding confidence, Gamit says Christian voters will again support the Congress, whereas from the BJP camp Konkani claimed that people will vote for the ruling party because of the development carried out by the saffron party government in the state.

Gujarat's first tribal chief minister Amarsinh Chaudhary won this seat four times between 1972 and 1985 and this Congress veteran became CM in 1985.

In 2004, Punabhai Gamit first won the by-election from the seat which necessitated after Tushar Chaudhary, sitting MLA and Amarsinh Chaudhary's son, won the Lok Sabha election from Mandvi seat.

Gamit was then pitted against BJP's Pratap Gamit, whom he defeated in three subsequent elections. In 2017, he defeated BJP's Arvind Chaudhary.

This time BJP has decided for the first time to field a Christian tribal candidate, Mohan Konkani.

The Congress has won more ST-reserved seats in the state compared to the BJP in the last seven Assembly elections since 1990. The exceptions were in 1995 and 2002.

Asked about the role the Christian factor played in determining his candidacy, Konkani told PTI there were other factors at play as well.

He said it is his dedication to the party since 1995 and his district panchayat membership from 2002 that have played a significant role. He said people from all communities are with him.

At the same time, the fact that Christians account for a sizable number of voters in the seat cannot be overlooked, Konkani said.

A total of 7 candidates are in the fray from the Vyara seat this time.

The Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) has given a ticket to Sunil Gamit, and the Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Bipinchandra Chaudhary. Rakesh Gamit from the BSP and two independents are also in the race.

Congress candidate Punabhai Gamit claimed voters from the Christian community in the region stood firmly with him and his party.

"The Christians are with the Congress. They will never vote for the BJP, even if their local religious leaders appeal to them to do so," he said.

Gamit claimed that he took people from all the communities--Hindu, Muslims and Christians--together, and that was the reason for his success in the constituency.

Vyara is located in the tribal-dominated Tapi district of south Gujarat. Of the total 2.20 lakh voters in the seat nearly 40,000, or 20 per cent are Christians.

The majority of the Christians have converted from the tribal Gamit, Chaudhary, and Konkani communities.

Vyara seat

• 88,000 voters from Gamit community
• 67,000 from Chaudhary community
• 13,000 from the Konkani community
• Christians from all three communities account for around 40,000 voters

With inputs from PTI