BJP releases first list of 160 candidates for Gujarat Assembly polls

Gandhinagar, November 10, 2022

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced its first list of 160 candidates for the elections to the 182-member Gujarat Legislative Assembly.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will contest the elections from the Ghatlodiya constituency.

State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi will fight the elections from the Majura constituency.

Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who left the Congress to join the BJP, has been nominated from Viramgam constituency.

Cricketer Ravindrasinh Jadeja's wife Rivaba will contest from Jamnagar North constituency.

The list comes after a meeting of the BJP Central Election Committee was held in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the meeting was attended by BJP President J P Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister, state BJP Chief C. R. Patil, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and former Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa, among others.

Polling will be held in two phases -- December 1 for 89 seats and December 5 for 93 seats. The last date for nominations for the first phase is November 14 and for the second phase it is November 17. Counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.

In all, the party has renominated 69 out of its 111 MLAs so far. Of them, 17 are those who have joined the party from other parties in the last ten years.

Bhupendra Yadav said today's list included 40 women candidates, 24 Scheduled Tribe and 13 Scheduled Caste candidates.

Congressman Bhagabhai Barad joined the BJP on Wednesday and on Thursday he was fielded by the BJP. Similarly, veteran Congressman Mohansinh Rathva joined the BJP along with his two sons on Tuesday and on Thursday his son Rajendrasinh was fielded from the Chhotaudepur seat.

Hardik Patel is the former working president of Gujarat Congress, who had left that party some months ago.

Eleven sitting MLAs from Ahmedabad city; all four sitting MLAs from Rajkot city; and two sitting MLAs in Surat do not figure in today's list.

NNN