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Congress eyes big gains in Saurashtra, north Gujarat

Party draws hope from its performance in the 2017 assembly elections

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A tough electoral battle awaits the BJP in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, as the Congress is eyeing big gains in Saurashtra and north Gujarat. The Congress is drawing hope from its performance in the two regions in the 2017 assembly elections, and is confident of replicating the success in the coming polls.

The Congress had drawn a blank in the state in the 2014 elections, but had won in 28 out of 48 assembly seats in 2017. The party has set a target of winning between six and nine Lok Sabha seats in the coming polls, said a party insider. "The party is confident of winning in Amreli, Junagadh, and Surendranagar. This is based on our performance of 2017, candidate selection keeping caste equations in mind, agrarian crisis, and other factors," he said.

The Congress has fielded leader of opposition Paresh Dhanani as its candidate from Amreli, senior MLA Punja Vansh from Junagadh, and ex-MP and MLA Soma Patel from Surendranagar. While Dhanani and Vansh will take on sitting MPs Naran Kachhadia and Rajesh Chudasama respectively, Soma Patel will take on Mahendra Munjpara.

"We are confident that we will be able to build on this momentum and win in these seats," said state Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi.

The Congress is also confident of putting up a good fight in Porbandar, where it has fielded Dhoraji MLA Lalit Vasoya. He will take on Ramesh Dhaduk of BJP after the party dropped sitting MP Vitthal Radadiya because of his poor health. In north Gujarat, the opposition party hopes to wrest Banaskantha, Sabarkantha and Patan from BJP. It has fielded former Amul chairman and cooperative leader Parthi Bhatol as its candidate from Banaskantha. Modasa MLA Rajendrasinh Thakor is the Sabarkantha candidate, and former MP Jagdish Thakor from Patan.

Bhatol will take on state minister Parbatbhai Patel, while Rajendrasinh Thakor will face-off against MP Dipsinh Rathod. Similarly, Thakor will have a direct fight with BJP MLA Bharatsinh Dabhi.

"Our candidate selection in these seats has been spot on, and our assessment is that we should win these three too," said a party source. The Congress candidate AJ Patel, a retired government official, and founder of an influential Patidar organisation, will take on Shardaben Patel of BJP from Mehsana Lok Sabha in the April 23 polls. State BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya, however, said that the BJP would once again win all 26 seats in the state. "The work done by the Narendra Modi government in last five years will ensure our victory in all seats. The Congress will score a zero in Gujarat," he said.

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