PTI, AHMEDABAD: The ruling BJP today released its third list of 28 candidates for the Gujarat Assembly polls, fielding former minister Saurabh Patel from Botad and former state party chief R C Faldu from Jamnagar-South seat. In the third list, the party has dropped as many as 16 sitting MLAs, including three ministers, and given tickets to 10 legislators.
The ministers who have been dropped are Jayanti Kavadia (the MLA from Dhrangadhra seat in Surendranagar), Vallabh Vaghasia (Savarkundla seat in Amreli) and Nanu Vanani (Katargam seat in Surat city). Kavadia recently announced that he was not willing to contest the polls and instead wanted to work to strengthen the party.
The parliamentary secretary in Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s government, Jetha Solanki, the legislator from Kodinar (SC) seat, was also dropped. Solanki resigned as the MLA and from all party posts two days ago, alleging that Dalits faced atrocities under the BJP-led state government. Sitting MLA from the Jamnagar-South seat, Vasuben Trivedi, who was the women and child development minister when
Anandiben Patel was the chief minister from 2014 to 2016, has also been dropped by the BJP this time.
Former state BJP president R C Faldu has been given ticket for the Jamnagar-South seat.
