Gandhinagar:

– Chief Minister Vijay Rupani visited former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel’s residence in capital Gandhinagar to seek his blessings today before filling nomination form as candidate from Rajkot seat tomorrow. Union finance minister Arun Jaitley is going to remain present during nomination form filling of Arun Jaitly tomorrow. Congress is all set to field the richest candidate Indranil Rajyaguru against Rupani.

– Speculations are rife that Congress has agreed to give tickets to some PAAS conveners. Lalit Vasoya who is the face of PAAS in Saurashtra region has reportedly resigned from PAAS to contest from Dhoraji assembly seat in Saurashtra on Congress ticket. Vasoya however denied he has resigned.

– Around 100 supporters of sitting BJP MLA Ramesh Maheshwari who is denied ticket this time on Gandhidham seat of Kutch district by BJP today staged protest at local BJP office. Several local Councillors and taluka panchayat president claimed they would resign in protest. Maheshwari supporters chanted slogans against State BJP vice president Jayanti Bhanushali and claimed BJP had sold ticket in exchange of money.

– BJP leader Kunvarji Halpati and others burnt effigies of cabinet minister Ganpat Vasava, MP Prabhu Vasava and candidate Pravin Chaudhary against selection of candidates by party on Mandvi and Mangrol seats. Kunvarji said he would contest as independent if BJP refuses to change the candidate.

– Groups of BJP workers reached BJP headquarters Kamalm to stage protest against candidates such as Jagdish Panchal, Shabdasharan Tadvi, Bharatsinh Dabhi, Hansa Kunvarba Raj and others. They expressed their feelings before state election management committee incharge Kaushik Patel.

– Aahir community members met in Keshod against selection of BJP candidate. They said Aahirs would not vote for BJP if candidate was not changed.

– Congress workers opposed local MLA Dharsinh Khanpura in Sneh Milan programme organized by local Congress unit in Banaskantha district. Party’s OBC wing Chairman BC Thakor said Khanpura should go and tell the party that he doesn’t want ticket this time. Party needs to field a fresh candidate. Thakor said, standard 4th pass, old candidate is not acceptable.

– Traders body in Dhrangadhra town of Surendranagar district had given bandh call today against denial of ticket to State BJP vice president IK Jadeja from Vadhwan seat. The bandh call was also given to press the party to give Jadeja ticket from Dhrangadhra. However, Jadeja himself intervened and the bandh call was cancelled.

– BJP office bearers met at Amit Shah’s Thaltej residence in Amdavad. The meeting included Bhupendra Yadav, Bhikhu Dalsania, Mansukh Mandavia, Nitin Patel among others.

– There’s a move that sitting Abdasa MLA Shaktisinh Gohil who is actually from Bhavnagar may contest the election from Mandvi seat in Kutch while Bhavnagar seat will be contested by Dilipsinh Gohil. BJP may field IK Jadeja against Shaktisinh on Mandvi seat. These are however just speculations at present.

– Jethabhai Solanki, sitting BJP MLA who resigned from the post of MLA and Parliamentary Secretary yesterday knowing that party would not repeat him on his Kodinar seat today held meeting with Congress leaders in a bid to get Congress ticket to contest from same Kodinar seat.

– A bus full of supporters of Pradyumansinh Chhasatiya today reached BJP headquarters Kamalam seeking ticket for Chhasatiya on Anklav seat of Central Gujarat.

– District Panchayat President and BJP leader Ramesh Patel may file nomination as independent candidate on Kutiyana seat against party’s decision to field Lakshman Odedara as candidate.

– BJP MP from North Gujarat Liladhar Vaghela has announced that if his son Dilip is not given ticket to contest from Deesa assembly seat he would resign from the post of member of parliament.

– Sitting BJP MLA from Dabhoi Balu Patel said he was planning to contest as independent as he had been denied ticket. Patel said BJP leaders had secret pact with Congress leader Siddharth Patel. In order to give away the seat to Siddharth Patel, BJP selected Vadodara based Shaiesh Mehta(Sotta) as candidate, Balu Patel alleged adding that Mehta would lose the seat by margin of at least 40,000 votes.

– Congress is likely to announce its first list of candidates today evening.

– Film maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has decided to delay the release of his upcoming controversial Hindi film Padmavati in view of protests against the film going on across the country.

– State Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki said he would not contest assembly election from any seat as he would be busy doing campaign to ensure victory of all party candidates. Solanki said Congress will announce its candidates before midnight today.

DeshGujarat