AAP's Gujarat CM face Isudan Gadhvi loses from Khambalia seat
The chief ministerial candidate for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Gujarat Isudan Gadhvi has faced an embarrassing defeat in the high-stake Gujarat Assembly elections. Former TV anchor, Gadhvi lost Khambalia seat to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate with a huge margin of over 19,000 votes. Notably, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal named Gadhvi as the CM candidate on November 14 following an open poll.
Who is Isudan Gadhvi?
Isudan Gadhvi was born on January 10, 1982, into a farming family in Gujarat's Dwarka district. After completing his postgraduate studies in journalism at Ahmedabad's Gujarat Vidyapeeth University, he began his career with Doordarshan's famous show 'Yojana' in 2005. He then worked as a correspondent for ETV Gujarat from 2007-2011. He rose to prominence after uncovering a Rs. 150 million illicit deforestation scheme.
Watch: Gadhvi had claimed AAP Gujarat winning over 100 seats
Gadhvi joined AAP last year
After being approached by AAP Gujarat chairman Gopal Italia, Gadhvi joined the party in June of last year. Kejriwal welcomed him into the party and described Gadhvi's choice to leave his career and enter politics as a significant sacrifice.
AAP crucial entry in Gujarat politics
Gujarat traditionally witnessed a poll battle between the BJP and the Congress, but AAP's arrival has made the contest triangular. For more than two decades, the state has been dominated by the BJP, with the Congress serving as the primary opposition party. After swiftly growing in popularity, AAP launched its first campaign in the Gujarat Assembly elections.
Despite BJP's huge victory, AAP may gain political ground
Kejriwal's AAP will utilize the Gujarat experience to mark the beginning of the party's journey as a national party. Despite BJP's thumping win, the AAP's Gujarat experiment is likely to force a shift in the state's binary politics and confront the BJP with a more persistent and strategic adversary than Congress. Notably, Gujarat has 182 seats, with 92 being the majority mark.
