Three CMs, six Union ministers to kickstart BJP campaign for first phase of Gujarat elections on Friday

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party will conduct a "carpet bombing" campaign for 82 out of 89 seats going to polls in the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections on Friday. The chief ministers of three states, six Union ministers and six other national leaders will cover 46 Assembly seats while state leaders will campaign in 36 seats on a single day, said state BJP chief C R Paatil.

It will launch the party's campaigning for the candidates in the first phase, he said. The last day for withdrawal of nominations for the first phase was Thursday. As per the party tradition, the BJP will launch "carpet bombing" programmes of public meetings across 82 of 89 seats, Paatil said.

BJP president J P Nadda, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma will be in Gujarat on Friday. Union ministers who will take part in campaigning are Nitin Gadkari, Narendra Singh Tomar, Anurag Thakur, Faggan Singh Kulaste, V K Singh and Bharati Pawar.


Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, UP deputy CM Brijesh Pathak, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari, BJP Yuva Morcha national president Tejasvi Surya and MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal are also in the list of national leaders who will hit the campaign trail of Friday.

"Apart from national leaders, Gujarat Chief Minister (Bhupendra Patel), former CM (Vijay Rupani), former deputy chief ministers, ex-MLAs who are not contesting, former ministers and Members of Parliament from Gujarat will participate. They will organise a bombarding programme," Paatil said.

After addressing public meetings in 83 Assembly seats, the leaders will continue door-to-door campaigning for three days starting Friday to spread the message of the achievements of "the double-engine BJP government," he said.