Gujarat Polls: BJP, Congress Release Final List Of Candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party today released its final list of 34 candidates on the last day of filing of nominations for the second phase of the Gujarat polls, dropping five MLAs, including a minister and former chief minister Anandiben Patel.

Anandiben Patel, the legislator from Ghatlodia seat of Ahmedabad city, had earlier announced that she would not contest the polls.

The BJP has dropped minister Rohit Patel from Anand seat. The other MLAs not given tickets are Nagarji Thakor from Radhanpur, R M Patel from Asarwa (SC) and Vinchhia Bhuria from Limkheda (ST).

Former minister and spokesperson Jaynarayan Vyas will contest from Siddhpur, from where he had lost in the 2012 polls. The ruling party has also given tickets to Tejashariben Patel, the former Congress MLA who joined the saffron party earlier, and Kanu Makvana, the son of former Congress MLA Karamshi Makvana, who had crossed over to the BJP during the Rajya Sabha polls.

In its sixth and final list, the party has given tickets to 12 sitting MLAs.

The BJP has fielded Bhupendra Patel from Ghatlodia, represented by Anandiben Patel, while senior leader Kaushik Patel has been given the ticket from Naranpura, which was earlier represented by party president Amit Shah. Shah had resigned as MLA after his election to the Rajya Sabha.

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Congress' Final List

The opposition Congress too released its final list of 14 candidates, besides leaving two seats for its allies. The party had late last night released its third list of 76 candidates.

In the fourth and final list of candidates, the party released 14 new names, besides changing its candidate for Manjalpur constituency where Chirag Zaveri has been fielded in place of Purvesh Borela.

The Congress also kept two seats of Morvahadaf (ST) and Vaghodia for the Bharatiya Tribal Party, headed by former JD(U) MLA Chhotubhai Vasava, which has allied with the party.

The Congress has entered into a seat-sharing agreement with Vasava's newly-formed party giving it five seats in the Gujarat assembly polls. Vasava, a tribal leader and MLA from Jhagadia in Bharuch district, floated a party after a split in the JD(U) and will contest from the seats of Jhagadia, Dediapada, Mangrol, Morva Hadaf and Vaghodia.

The Congress, which has been seeking to dislodge the BJP from power in the western state, earlier announced the names of 86 candidates in two phases. The Congress has been out of power in the crucial state for over two decades.

The polling for the two-phase election to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will take place on December 9 and 14 and votes will be counted on December 18.

Eighty-nine seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat region are going to polls in the first phase, while the remaining 93 seats in central and northern region would go for polls in the second phase.