Just over a month after a bridge collapse claimed 135 lives, Bharatiya Janata Party's Kantilal Amrutiya on Thursday won the Morbi assembly seat in Gujarat, defeating his Congress rival Jaynatilal Patel by 62079 votes.
While Amrutiya polled 113701 votes, Patel got 52121 votes. Aam Aadmi Party's candidate Pankaj Ransariya 17261 votes.
Amtrutiya emerged as a savior in the bridge collapse tragedy. Videos of Amrutiya jumping into the river to rescue survivors had gone viral. The act earned Amrutiya nationwide praise and the sobriquet of "Morbi hero".
While Amrutiya had won from the Morbi segment five times in the past, Jayantilal Patel lost five times to BJP rivals in the previous elections.
The contest turned triangular this time with Aam Aadmi Party fielding Pankaj Ransariya, also a Patidar, but he failed to woo voters.
Morbi, dominated by Patidar voters, is considered a traditional stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The place came into the limelight after the British-era suspension bridge in the city collapsed into the Machchhu river on October 30, killing 135 people, a tragedy which was believed might change the poll equations.
Sensing that Amutiya's popularity will come in handy for the party, the BJP dropped its sitting MLA Brijesh Merja, a former minister, and fielded Amrutiya, who was otherwise not in the reckoning as a candidate.