Gandhinagar: One of the 4 BJP Rajya Sabha MPs from Gujarat whose term was due to end in April this year, Shankar Vegad, has reportedly written a letter to the state president of the party expressing his willingness to not to be a candidate again.

Vegad in his letter to Jeetu Vaghani has requested the party to give a chance to another party leader in place of him. He has expressed his gratitude to the party for sending him to the upper house once.

Notably, the three other BJP MPs from Gujarat apart from Vegad, whose term will end in April are Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala, Minister of State for Roads and Highways and Chemicals and Fertilizers Mansukhbhai Mandaviya,.

Now with its lower Assembly strength (99 in 182 member assembly), ruling BJP can ensure the re-election on only two of the 4 RS seat.

In such a situation Vegad (62) a Surendranagar native who was of the smallest stature among the four, obviously was the one whom the party can afford to drop.

The party in all likelihood will repeat the two union ministers Mandaviya and Rupala as its candidate in Gujarat this time around while Jaitley was likely to be re-elected to the upper house from UP.

Congress will be able to clinch the two BJP seats in the changed equations.

DeshGujarat