A jailed BJP MLA’s son in Gujarat has won a cooperative bank election in Gondal town of Rajkot district.
Jyotiradityasinh Jadeja alias Ganesh, son of BJP MLA Geetaba Jadeja, is in jail for allegedly attempting to murder a Junagadh-based Dalit man and National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) leader.
He won election to the board of directors of Gondal Nagrik Sahkari Bank (GNSB). Polling for the election to 11 seats was conducted on Sunday. However, Ganesh could not vote as he is lodged in Junagadh district jail. The counting of votes started late on Sunday evening and continued overnight, after which results were announced on Monday morning.
Cooperative leaders pledging allegiance to BJP swept the GNSB polls, winning all 11 seats. The winners included incumbent chairman Ashok Pipaliya who polled 6,327 votes, the highest among 23 candidates who were in fray for 11 seats. Based on the counting, 25-year-old Ganesh polled 5,999 preferential votes, the third highest among 17 candidates who were in the fray for eight seats in the general constituency.
Ganesh is the second Jadeja family member after his father Jayrajsinh Jadeja, former three-time Gondal MLA, to get elected to GNSB. In 1996, his father was elected vice-chairman of this bank. In 1998, Jayrajsinh was elected MLA from Gondal Assembly constituency on a BJP ticket. He had retained Gondal Assembly seat in 2002 but was arrested and jailed in connection with Nilesh Raiyani and Vinu Shingala murders in 2004.
He had lost the 2007 Assembly elections but made a comeback in 2012.
A sessions court had acquitted Jayrajsinh in Raiyani murder case. However, in August 2017, the Gujarat High Court overturned the sessions court verdict, convicted Jayrajsinh and two others and sentenced them to life imprisonment. Following this, the BJP gave a ticket to his wife Geetaba in 2017 and she won.
The ruling party gave Geetaba a ticket in 2022 Assembly polls also and she retained her seat. Jayrajsinh is out on bail presently.
Ganesh was arrested on June 5 for allegedly assaulting Sanjay alias Chandu Solanki.
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