Amid the suspense over BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s probable constituency, the State BJP was abuzz with speculations that Modi may contest from Ahmedabad (East) or Vadodara constituency as party workers, including sitting MPs from the both constituencies, are insisting him to contest from Gujarat.
Already senior party leaders have put a proposal for the Gujarat Chief Minister to contest from Ahmedabad (East) constituency as his Assembly constituency ‘Maninagar’ is also the part of it. The sitting seven-time lok Sabha member, Harin Pathak, who is winning from the constituency since 1989, has shown willingness to vacate the seat for him.
“It would be a matter of pride for me, it the party’s prime ministerial candidate decides to contest from my constituency. I met him personally and requested him to contest from Ahmedabad (East) constituency twice,” said Pathak while talking to The Pioneer.
Sources said that Vadodara MP Balkrishna Shukla and senior party leaders in Vadodara are also insisting Modi to contest from the Banyan city. “If Modiji would contest from Vadodara, he wouldn’t have to worry about campaigning here, as it is one of the most secured constituencies for BJP in the State,” said a senior party leader hailing from the cultural capital of Gujarat. Sources said that there were possibilities that Modi may contest from two constituencies simultaneously one from Gujarat and another from other State, most probably from Uttar Pradesh.
Speculation over Modi may contest from Gandhinagar and Varanasi seats had generated heat within the BJP as the constituencies are currently represented by two senior most leaders - lK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi respectively. last week, during a visit to the state Advani expressed his wish to seek re-election from Gandhinagar for the sixth time.
Modi attended the last day of three-day long Gujarat BJP Parliamentary Board meeting on Wednesday. During the meeting names of probable candidates for all 26 lok Sabha seats in the State were discussed.