Former Gujarat CM Nitin Patel Opts Out Of Lok Sabha Race For Mehsana Seat

Nitin Patel's move follows similar decisions from other BJP MPs including Gautam Gambhir, Jayant Sinha, and Harsh Vardhan, who also opted out of political responsibilities recently.

The ongoing trend of BJP candidates stepping down from their candidacies persists, with Nitin Patel, the BJP nominee for the Mehsana Lok Sabha seat, declaring his withdrawal from electoral politics on Sunday. Patel conveyed his decision through a social media post on 'X'. This move follows similar decisions from other BJP MPs including Gautam Gambhir, Jayant Sinha, and Harsh Vardhan, who also opted out of political responsibilities recently. 

On a post on the microblogging site, Nitin Patel mentioned that the candidates for 15 Lok Sabha seats in the state have been announced, while the selection process for the Mehsana Lok Sabha candidate is still underway. Earlier today, Harsh Vardhan, a former Union Minister and the current BJP MP, revealed his choice to retire from politics. This announcement followed the release of the BJP's first list of Lok Sabha election candidates, wherein Harsh Vardhan was not included. 

The former cricketer and MP of East Delhi, Gautam Gambhir on Saturday announced his dismissal from politics through a tweet hours before the BJP’s first list of candidates was released. After which Jharkhand's Hazaribagh MP Jayant Sinha conveyed his intention to refrain from participating in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. 

The BJP on Saturday evening announced the first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, comprising 195 individuals spread across 16 States and two Union Territories. Among the 195 candidates, 107 come from backward communities, including 27 from Scheduled Castes, 18 from Scheduled Tribes, and 57 from other backward classes (OBCs). The list includes 28 female candidates and 47 candidates under the age of 50. Abdul Salam, a Muslim candidate, has been nominated to contest from Malappuram in Kerala.