BJP Retains Manjalpur in Vadodara as Custodial Death Case Gets Fresh Push
The BJP held the Manjalpur Assembly constituency in the July 30 bypoll, with Satish G Patel defeating Congress rival Bhikhabhai Rabari by 30,630 votes — a significant drop from the party's margin of over a lakh in 2022. The Gujarat government also reinstated a Special Public Prosecutor in the 2019 Vadodara custodial death case following the Gujarat High Court's direction. Meanwhile, the district administration ordered all schools and colleges shut as the IMD issued a Red Alert for extreme monsoon rainfall across Gujarat.
Manjalpur Returns BJP, but Margin Tells a Different Story
The BJP on Monday retained the Manjalpur Assembly seat in Vadodara district in the bypoll held on July 30, 2026. The seat fell vacant following the death of senior BJP legislator and former minister Yogesh Patel due to prolonged illness. The party's candidate Satish G Patel defeated Congress's Bhikhabhai Rabari — a former minister — by 30,630 votes. Patel secured a total of 55,481 votes while Rabari polled 24,851.
The headline number, however, tells a more complicated story for the ruling party. The margin represented a dramatic contraction from the 2022 Assembly elections, when the BJP had won the seat by more than a lakh of votes. That the gap narrowed to roughly 30,000 despite the deployment of the party's heaviest political artillery — Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and Union Minister CR Paatil all campaigned in the constituency — will draw analysis from within both camps. Congress fielded a credible candidate in Rabari, whose experience as a former minister gave him a solid profile to run on. While the seat remains with the BJP, the trend line will be studied closely ahead of the next full Assembly cycle. [5]
Gujarat HC Secures Reinstatement of Prosecutor in 2019 Vadodara Custodial Death Case
The Gujarat government reinstated the Special Public Prosecutor assigned to the 2019 Vadodara custodial death case, following a direction from the Gujarat High Court. The case, which dates to 2019, involves a death in police custody in Vadodara, and the reinstatement of the prosecutor marks a significant step in ensuring that the proceedings continue with dedicated legal representation.
Special Public Prosecutors are appointed for serious cases where the state must ensure proceedings are conducted rigorously and independently. The decision to reinstate the prosecutor — made by the state government in compliance with the High Court's direction — signals that the judiciary has been actively monitoring the case's progress and that questions arose about the continuity of prosecution. Custodial death cases carry particular weight in Indian law, as deaths in police custody are subject to mandatory judicial inquiry. The Gujarat High Court's intervention to secure the reinstatement reflects the court's role in upholding accountability where the state is itself involved in alleged wrongdoing. The case is expected to proceed with the reinstated prosecutor now firmly in place, giving families and civil society groups reason to track developments in the weeks ahead. [4]
🎓 Red Alert Forces Vadodara to Shut All Schools and Colleges on July 31
The Vadodara District Magistrate ordered the closure of all educational institutions across the district on July 31, 2026, following an India Meteorological Department Red Alert warning for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across Gujarat. The order covered schools, industrial training institutes, and colleges, with the administration citing risks of severe weather, waterlogging, and potential flash floods as grounds for the decision.
The directive was issued under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and carried legal force, with violations expressly subject to penal action. Authorities framed the order as a preventive measure to ensure that students and staff would not be exposed to hazardous conditions during the peak of the monsoon season. Parts of Gujarat, including Vadodara and Ahmedabad, had already been under Red Alert status as July drew to a close, reflecting the intensity of monsoon activity across the state. The administration at multiple levels coordinated precautionary closures and emergency responses as Gujarat experienced significant rainfall during this period. The Vadodara decision aligned with steps taken by other affected districts as authorities prioritised public safety over maintaining routine institutional operations during the extreme weather event. [8]
Sources: [5] Deccan Herald · [4] Live Law · [8] GujaratSamachar English