Gujarat: Jignesh Mevani of Congress wins again from Vadgam

Firebrand Dalit leader and Vadgam's sitting MLA Jignesh Mevani retained his Vadgam seat, which he had won as an independent candidate in 2017.

Mevani, who was trailing BJP's Manibhai Vaghela earlier in the day, managed to win the seat even as the Congress registered its worst-ever performance in Gujarat.

Taking to Twitter, he thanked the people of Vadgam for giving him "a positive mandate".

"This victory shows the trust and faith bestowed upon me by my constituents. This also brings upon me the responsibility to further the cause of the poor and marginalized sections of the society," he wrote.

Mevani has emerged as one of the most prominent Congress leaders in the state after formally joining the party earlier this year.

Vadgam is a reserved seat for the scheduled castes (SCs), where Muslim voters play a decisive role. Muslim voters, estimated to be around 90,000, account for a third of Vadgam's 2.94-lakh electorate. There are about 44,000 Dalit voters and 15,000 Rajputs. The rest comprise mostly OBCs.