The Gujarat BJP Parliamentary Board has decided to give tickets to only local candidates in the upcoming by-elections of nine Assembly segments slated on September 13 this year. The State Parliamentary Board has also shortlisted panels of three candidates for each Assembly segment. This list will be presented before the party’s National Parliamentary Board.
The saffron party would zero in on only those candidates whose names are there in the electoral roll of the respective Assembly constituency. It means if somebody wants to contest from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier Assembly constituency — Maninagar in Ahmedabad — his name should be there in the electoral roll of Maninagar Assembly segment, said a senior BJP leader.
This strategic decision was taken following a long queue of aspirants for the nine Assembly constituencies — Deesa, Maninagar, limkheda, Anand, Matar, Jam Khambhalia, Mangrol, Tankara and Talaja. Many of the aspirants were outsiders and didn’t belong to these Assembly segments.
“During review meetings of party observers, majority of the BJP workers in these Assembly segments as well as the Vadodara lok Sabha constituency had opined to give tickets to local candidates. Mood of the BJP cadre reflected in the State party leadership decision,” said a member of the State BJP parliamentary board.
The decision will not be applicable for the Vadodara parliamentary constituency. Modi contested from the cultural capital of Gujarat and later on vacated Vadodara seat as he also won the lok Sabha election from Varanasi and decided to remain MP from the holy town on the banks of river Ganga.
This decision may create discontent among those who have demanded ticket from one of these constituencies and their names are not in electoral roll. Knowing the fact, the Parliamentary Board has left the final decision on selection of candidates on Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and State BJP president RC Faldu went to Delhi and had a meeting with the Prime Minister on Saturday. Shah was also present during the meeting.
Names of Gujarat BJP heavyweights including Amit Shah for the Vadodara lok Sabha seat, Narhari Amin for Matar or Maninagar Assembly seat, Parshotam Rupala and Faldu for Tankara seat have already making rounds. However, in the parliamentary board meeting Faldu clarified that he didn’t want to contest in the bypoll.
As the last date of filing the nomination for the bypolls of Assembly and lok Sabha in Gujarat is Thursday August 28th, the saffron party is likely to announce final list of its candidates by Monday evening.