A BJP MP from Vadodara, Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt, declined to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Bhatt announced her decision on X, formerly Twitter.
Bhatt, who was renominated by the party from the same seat for the upcoming parliamentary elections, on Saturday, March 23, pulled out of the poll race citing personal reasons. Her move comes days after banners criticising the BJP's decision to renominate her from the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat came up at different spots in the city.
"I, Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt, am unwilling to contest the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 due to my personal reasons," Bhatta wrote on X.
Some local BJP leaders had also expressed their displeasure over Bhatt's nomination. BJP national women's wing vice president Jyotiben Pandya resigned from the party and all posts after Bhatt's name was announced as a candidate for the third time from Vadodara.
Bhatt had won the 2014 by-election after Prime Minister Narendra Modi vacated the seat. She also won the Lok Sabha election in 2019, and was announced as BJP's candidate for the upcoming poll.