Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who secured a resounding victory in the 2019 polls, will be contesting from Gandhinagar. Additionally, CR Paatil, the Gujarat BJP chief, has been retained as the candidate from Navsari.
However, there are some sitting MPs who have been denied tickets. Former Union minister of state Mohan Kundariya from Rajkot, Ramesh Dhaduk from Porbandar, Kirit Solanki from Ahmedabad East, Parbat Patel from Banaskantha, and Ratansinh Rathod from Panchmahal have all been replaced.
Union agriculture minister Parshottam Rupala will now be contesting from Rajkot, while Mansukh Mandaviya will be fielded from Porbandar. Another significant change is the BJP fielding six-time MP and senior tribal leader Mansukh Vasava from Bharuch, a seat that was given to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as part of their INDIA bloc agreement with the opposition Congress.
In terms of gender representation, the BJP has included two women in its first list. Poonam Madam, the MP from Jamnagar, and Rekhaben Chaudhary, a first-time candidate, have been given tickets from their respective constituencies.
There have also been changes in the candidates for the Ahmedabad West and Panchmahal seats. Dinesh Makwana will be replacing Kirit Solanki in Ahmedabad West, while Rajpalsinh Jadav will be contesting from Panchmahal in place of Ratansinh Rathod.
The BJP has retained its candidates for the Kutch, Patan, Anand, and Dahod seats. In the previous Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won all 26 seats in Gujarat.
This announcement sets the stage for an interesting and closely watched election in Gujarat, as parties gear up for the upcoming polls.
(With inputs from agencies)
Source Agencies
