Gujarat election 2017: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has come up with names of 106 candidates who will contest in the upcoming elections to the 182-member state assembly. While the rival Congress party is yet to come up with a list of its candidates for the two-phase poll, the BJP on Saturday released its second list of 36 candidates for the next month’s polls. The party has denied tickets to twelve sitting MLAs, including a minister. The second list has 12 candidates from Scheduled Tribes (ST) category, while two are Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates. There are two Patel candidates in the second list. The BJP dropped Women and Child Development Minister Nirmala Wadhvani (Naroda constituency in Ahmedabad), while the name of parliamentary secretary Samjhi Chauhan (Chotila assembly segment in Surendranagar district) also does not figure in the list. Other sitting MLAs who have been dropped include include former ministers (during former chief minister Narendra Modi-led Gujarat government) Mangu Patel (Gandevi seat) and Ranjit Gilitwala (Surat East constituency).
BJP is facing a challenge from Patidar leader Hardik Patel even as several of his former aides have switched to the saffron camp. Patel is supporting Congress and a number of his candidates are expected to contest on Congress tickets.
Here’s the full list of BJP candidates for the Gujarat Assembly elections 2017:
On Saturday, Ketan Patel, another former close aide of Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel, joined the ruling BJP along with two other ex-PASS members in presence of Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya here. Ketanhad accompanied Hardik Patel in jail in a sedition case but had later turned approver and was acquitted of the charges. Along with him, Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) members Amrish Patel and Shweta Patel have also joined BJP. Three days back, Hardik Patel’s another former close aide Chirag Patel had also joined the saffron party.
The party has given ticket to Pradeepsinh Jadeja from Vatva area of Ahmedabad city. Former MP Haribhai Patel from Dhoraji seat has also been fielded, while Dabhoi seat has been given Shailesh Mehta. On Friday, BJP had declared its first list of 70 candidates which included Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Deputy chief Minister Nitin Patel and state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani. The saffron party is, however, yet to declare candidates of 24 seats for the first phase of polls.
