Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani won Vadgam with a margin of 19,696 votes. With the victory, Mevani, became the first independent to win the seat in the last nine elections. Mevani, an outsider (he is a resident of Ahmedabad) contested as an independent but with the backing of Congress. The party had not fielded a candidate against Mevani, who won 95,497 votes against the BJP's 75,801. Interestingly, the third highest votes were polled for NOTA in Vadgam. NOTA got 4,255 votes. The seat is dominated by Dalits and Muslims and was considered a safe seat for the Congress although many also doubted if Mevani's outsider tag would work against him. Mevani's victory margin is, however, less than what the Congress candidate had managed in 2012. In that election Congress won with a victory margin of 21,839. The BJP's Yogi Adityanath and Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani had campaigned for the BJP in Vadgam. It should be noted that Mevani had on the last day of filing nomination announced his candidature as an independent from Vadgam seat. Till then, he had maintained that he would not take political plunge nor would he join any party. He had also met Congress president Rahul Gandhi during his visit to the state, pressing for the demands of Dalits. It is believed that the agreement to contest Vadgam with backing from the party was reached in that meeting. The Gandhi scion had also campaigned for Mevani in Vadgam and so had Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil. In fact, Mevani was helped by the Congress machinery during his poll campaign.

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