Gujarat election : BJP releases first list of 70 candidates
Ahmedabad, Nov 17 (IBNS) : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday released its first list of 70 candidates for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, to be held on December 9 and 14.
The state Assembly has 182 seats.
“The Central Election Committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party met under the Presidentship of Shri Amit Shah. The meeting was attended by Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh, Hon’ble Minister of Home Affairs, Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs and all other members of the Central Election Committee of the BJP,” a BJP statement on Friday said.
Among the candidates are Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel. While Rupani will defend his Rajkot West seat, Patel will contest from Mehsana constituency. .
Rupani was elected from the same constituency last time.
Gujarat state unit President of the BJP Jitu Vaghani has also been fielded in his turf, Bhavnagar West.
Though the BJP has kept its stranglehold on Gujarat for long, the coming election has emerged as a prestige issue for the party with the Congress doggedly trying to make inroads and the powerful Patidar community sulking in anger and its leader Hardik Patel promising support to Rahul Gandhi's party.
