The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced the first list of candidates for 160 candidates out of the 182 constituencies, which includes 14 female candidates for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections.
With the Assembly elections scheduled for December 1 and 5 in the State, the BJP leaders in a press conference held in Delhi announced this first list on the majority of the constituencies.
The list of 160 candidates includes 14 females, 13 from scheduled caste, 24 from the scheduled tribe and there are 69 candidates who have been repeated.
Rivaba Jadeja, wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja has also been given a ticket by BJP from Jamnagar North Constituency.
Other female candidates include Maltiben Maheshwari from Gandhinagar, Jignaben Pandya from Wadhwan, Dr Darshita Shah from Rajkot West, Bhanuben Babariya from Rajkot (Rural), Gitaba Jadeja from Gondal, Dr Darshana Deshmukh from Nandod, Sangita Patil from Limbayat, Bhikhiben Parmar from Bayad, Dr Payal Kulkarni from Naroda, Kanchan Radadiya from Thakkarbapa Nagar, Darshana Vaghela from Asarwa, Nimisha Suthar from Morva Hadaf and Manisha Vakil from Vadodara city.
It is the first time that three female candidates have been given tickets from Ahmedabad (Thakkarbapa Nagar, Asarwa and Naroda).
Gujarat Chief Minister will be contesting from the Ghatlodia constituency and the celebrations started at his office in Ahmedabad as soon as his name was announced.
Bhagvanbhai Barad, the former Congress MLA, who submitted his resignation from all posts of the party and as the MLA to Speaker Nimaben Acharya on Wednesday has also been given a ticket for the Talala constituency.
Senior BJP leaders like Vijay Rupani, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Nitin Patel and Pradipsinh Jadeja on Wednesday night stated they do not want to contest the elections and have also conveyed the same to the higher authorities in Delhi.
Hardik Patel, who was the former working president of Gujarat Congress and joined BJP in the month of June is also on the list of 160 candidates and will be contesting from Viramgam constituency. Patel spearheaded the patidar reservation agitation in Gujarat in 2015.
Other Congress leaders who joined BJP from Congress in the past like Jawahar Chavda (he was also the cabinet minister in Vijay Rupani's ministry), Ashvin Kotwal and Pradyumansinh Jadeja have been given tickets from Manavadar, Khedbrahma and Abdasa constituencies respectively.
Pravin Mali, who has been given a ticket for the first time from the Deesa Constituency, while speaking tosaid, "BJP decides which candidate will get a ticket from which constituency and I have been given the responsibility of Deesa. I am thankful to the party leaders for their trust in me and we will try to win all 9 seats from Banaskantha including Deesa."
BJP is in power in the state from the last 27 years and is considered as BJP bastion.
Gujarat has been the BJP bastion for decades and the party is seeking its seventh term in office.
The elections will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will occur on December 8, which coincides with Himachal Pradesh's result date.
While Congress is seeking to oust the BJP, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also making efforts to put up a strong performance in the polls.
( With inputs from ANI )
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