15 Patidars in BJP third list; many MLAs not renominated

GANDHINAGAR: BJP on Monday published its third list of 28 candidates for the Gujarat assembly polls, amid rumblings in the state’s ruling party over the 106 names it announced previously.

The list cleared the air on BJP vice-president and ticket aspirant IK Jadeja, whose name was missing again. It also saw the repositioning of two other senior members, Saurabh Patel and Ramanlal Vora. While Patel has been given a ticket from Botad instead Akota from where he is the sitting MLA, Vora has been placed at Dasada instead of his current Idar seat. Patel, a prominent face of the Anandi Patel camp, represented Botad from 2007 to 2012, before he was shifted to Akota.

There were speculations that he would not get a ticket this time. The latest list, essentially covering the Patidar-dominated seats, has 15 candidates belonging to the community. Several former and current ministers including Vasu Trivedi, a confidant of Anandiben Patel, have not found a place among the names. Former BJP Gujarat president RC Faldu, who failed to win in 2012, has been fielded from Jamnagar this time, instead of Trivedi.

Senior leader from Surat, Nanu Vanani, has not been given his sitting seat, Katargam. In Kodinar, where sitting MLA Jetha Solanki parted ways with BJP anticipating denial of ticket, the party fielded Ram Vadher.

Jadeja’s supporters were expecting the party to field him in Dhrangadhra, after he was denied ticket from Wadwan. But BJP named Jayram Sonagara from Dhrangadhra. It fielded Virendrasinh Jadeja, another Kshatriya leader, in Mandavi to take on senior Congress leader and its Rajput face Shaktisinh Gohil. Jadeja’s supporters had earlier thronged BJP headquarters outside Gandhinagar, protesting against the party’s decision to drop the Kshatriya leader.