Win-tage Gujarat: Vijay Rupani, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama Opt Out; At Least 20 BJP MLAs May Not Get Poll Tickets

Ahead of the Gujarat elections, former chief minister (CM) Vijay Rupani has written to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership stating he won’t contest this time, while senior BJP leader Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, too, has announced that he won’t contest the polls, according to party sources. Nitin Patel, former deputy CM, too, is not keen on contesting from Mahesana, said sources in the state unit. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to cut tickets of 20 per cent of its sitting members of the legislative assembly to end anti-incumbency of six terms.

According to party sources, a few prominent former ministers and top leaders might not get tickets. “There are MLAs against whom there is anti-incumbency. The distribution of tickets will be solely on the basis of winnability. There are at least 20 sitting MLAs who may not get tickets this time,” said sources.

While the decision taken in the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC), a top body to decide on the candidates on each seat, is final, the state leadership has had first round of discussions on each seat, especially those going to polls in phase one. The meet of the CEC, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to decide on the tickets for the 182 seats in the Gujarat polls scheduled on December 1 and December 5 was held at the party’s headquarters in the national capital on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a core group meeting of the Gujarat unit of the BJP took place in the national capital on Tuesday. The party’s top leaders, including chief minister Bhupendra Patel and state president C R Patil, Ratnakar, general secretary (organisation), Union ministers and MPs form Gujarat Mansukh Mandavia and Parshottam Rupala, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and later had a long meeting at national president J P Nadda’s residence.

MAIN KHUSH HOON CAMPAIGN

While the tickets will be finalised in the CEC meeting and announced most likely in two lists, the party has begun a happiness campaign in the state.

The party is promoting people to write what has made them happy and begin it with ‘Main khush hoon…’ tagline. “Main khush hoon kyunki mujhe Ujjawala ka fayada mila or Main khush hoon kyunki mere gaon mein atchi sadak hai etc. It can be anything that makes people happy and the party is getting huge response. People are being very creative in sending their responses,” said a senior party leader.

Sources said the campaign has already been launched on social media.

AAP FACTOR

Sources in the party said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) may eat into the share of the Congress, but is unlikely to win any seat.

“It could have won one seat if the Congress forgot to campaign or fight the elections effectively. Nothing more than that,” added the source on the AAP’s high-decibel campaign in the poll-bound state that is also the home state of PM Modi and Amit Shah.

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