Gujarat Elections: Seven BJP Leaders Suspended for Contesting against Official Candidates
NEW DELHI, Nov 20: The ruling BJP in Gujarat on Sunday suspended seven party leaders, including two former MLAs, for contesting as independents for the next month’s state Assembly elections after they were denied party nominations.
The seven candidates are contesting from the seats that will go to polls in the first phase on December 1. No action has yet been initiated against two other former MLAs who too have filed nominations as independents for the seats going to the polls in the second phase on December 5.
The party suspended former MLAs Arvind Ladani, who had won from Keshod constituency in 2012, and Harshad Vasava from the Scheduled Tribe-reserved seat of Nandod, after they filed their nominations as independents from these seats. The BJP has fielded Dr. Darshana Deshmukh from Nandod and Devabhai Malam from Keshod.
The saffron party also suspended Chhatarsinh Gunjariya, a district panchayat member from Surendranagar, after he filed his nomination as an independent from Dhrangadhra seat. Other suspended leaders include Ketan Patel, Bharat Chavda, Uday Shah and Karan Baraiya, who have filed their nominations as independents from Pardi, Rajkot, Veraval and Rajula seats respectively.
The BJP, in a release, said, “These leaders have filed their nominations as independent candidates against the candidates declared by the party. They are being suspended on the direction of the state BJP president C.R. Paatil.”
Six-time MLA Madhu Shrivastav from Vaghodia, who was denied a ticket, has also filed his nominations as an independent. The BJP has fielded Ashwin Patel from the seat. Another former BJP MLA Dinesh Patel aka Dinu Mama of Padra seat in Vadodara district has also filed his nominations as an independent. The BJP has given the ticket to Chaitanyasinh Zala on the seat. Both Vaghodia and Padra will go to polls in the second phase of elections on December 5.
(Manas Dasgupta)
