The Congress party has decided to field Suresh Chaturdas Patel in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency against BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Shri L.K.Advani. Patel’s name was announced today by the party in Delhi.

Suresh Patel is two time MLA from Kalol. Following delimitation, the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat has seven assembly segments including Kalol, Sabarmati and newly-created segments like Vejalpur, Ghatlodia, Naranpura, Sanand and Gandhinagar North. Suresh patel is only Congress MLA in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat area.

Suresh Patel(58), considered a person with a “clean image”, had become an MLA from Kalol in 1998 had lost the seat in 2002 but wrested it back from the BJP in the 2007 assembly polls with margin of 2830 votes by securing 60536 votes. Earlier he was also elected in Kalol Taluka Panchayat for two terms.

Advani has been representing the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat since 1991 but did not contest in 1996 after his name cropped up in the Hawala scam case in which he had got clean chit later on.

Patel is banking on Patel votes that are highest in the constituency. He is also considering more votes on Asaram Ashram and Gandhinagar illegal temples demolition drive issues.

Bhavnaben Patel is Congress candidate for Navsari seat

Congress announced Bhavnaben Anilbhai Patel a candidate for Navsari Lok Sabha seat. She will be contesting BJP’s C.R.Patil.Bhavnaben is sarpanch(elected village head) of Chhapra village located on the outskirts of Navsari. She belongs to the Koli Patel community which numbers around 4.5 lakh in the constituency. She is president of the Sakhi Mandal movement that fights against the menace of liquor in the area. Bhavnaben along with a self help group of women, has smashed over two dozen liquor dens in and around the district.

Relatively lesser known Bhavnaben(30),a science graduate is the youngest of all the BJP/Congress candidates in the poll fray from the state.

Both Gandhinagar and Navsari are secure winning seats for BJP.