Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017: On BJP’s 5th List, prominent patidaar leaders and few fresh faces

The party has renominated prominent Patidar leaders Pankajbhai Desai from Nadiad and Vallabhbhai Kakadiya from Thakkarbapa Nagar.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday released the fifth list of thirteen candidates for the upcoming Gujarat elections. 

.@BJP4India releases fifth list of 13 candidates for #GujaratElections2017. @BJP4Gujarat @AmitShah pic.twitter.com/rHfOUbpFnk

— BJP LIVE (@BJPLive) November 24, 2017

Dhanera and Vadgam in Banaskantha, one of the state’s most backward districts, had returned Congress MLAs in 2012 and the BJP will hope to make inroads here. The party has nominated fresh faces - both Mavjibhai Desai and Vijaybhai Chakravati - who are prominent community leaders. 

In contrast, Unjha in Mehsana has been held by Narayanbhai Patel since 1995 and the party has nominated the sitting MLA, as it has done in Patan where Ranchodbhai Desai will be the party’s nominee. 

Interestingly, Patan was represented by Anandiben Patel, the former chief minister of Gujarat, in 2007. 

The party has also renominated its other sitting MLAs - Pankajbhai Desai from Nadiad, minister Vallabhbhai Kakadiya from Thakkarbapa Nagar - both prominent Patidar leaders. 

Ramlal Vohra, the state assembly speaker who represented Idar in the Sabarkantha district since 1995 has been replaced by the famous Gujarati actor Hiteshbhai Kanodiya.

Kaalol in the Panchmahal district will see a change in the BJP’s representation. Two-time MLA Arvindsinh Rathod will be replaced by Sumanben Chauhan, the wife of former BJP leader Parvinsinh Chauhan and daughter-in-law of the Godhra Lok Sabha MP Prabhat Sinh Chauhan. 

With this list, BJP has declared candidates to 147 of the 182 seats in the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha. Elections will be held in the state in two phases on December 9 and 14 and votes will be counted on December 18.