Former Amul chairman Parthi Bhatol nominated from Banaskantha, Bimal Shah from Kheda, and MLA Rajendrasinh Thakor from Sabarkantha
Less than 19 hours before the deadline to file nominations ends, the Congress party announced candidates for six more Lok Sabha seats in the state on Wednesday. However, the party is still to name candidates for two LS seats, as also the four assembly seats.
The Congress's Central Election Committee named Parthi Bhatol, former chairman of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), as its candidate from Banaskantha seat. He will face-off against minister and BJP candidate Parbatbhai Patel.
As reported in DNA earlier, the Congress named Modasa MLA Rajendrasinh Thakor as its candidate from Sabarkantha seat. He will take on MP and BJP nominee Dipsinh Rathod.
Leader of opposition Paresh Dhanani, who filed his nomination earlier in the day, was formally named as the candidate from Amreli Lok Sabha seat. The three-term MLA will fight against Naran Kachhadia, the sitting MP and the BJP nominee in his first Lok Sabha election.
The Congress named former state minister Bimal Shah as its candidate from Kheda. Shah was elected to the assembly twice in 1998 and 2002 on the BJP symbol, but had lost in 2007, and was not given a ticket after that. He had also contested unsuccessfully in the 2017 assembly election as an independent candidate. He had joined Congress in January, and it was widely expected that he would be fielded from Kheda against MP and BJP candidate Devusinh Chauhan.
Manhar Patel was named as the candidate from Bhavnagar seat. Patel will face-off against MP Bhartiben Shiyal.
The party named Ashok Adhevada as its candidate from Surat. However, candidature of the outsider candidate, who is based in Saurashtra, sparked off protests in the local unit of Congress. He will take on two-term MP and BJP candidate Darshana Jardosh.
Former BJP MP Babu Katara is seen as the frontrunner for the Congress ticket from Dahod. However, there could be a toss-up between MLA Chandrika Bariya and ex-MP Prabha Taviyad in case the party decides to field a woman.
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 "Manhar Patel, Paresh Dhanani, Parbatbhai Patel, Rajendrasinh Thakor, Ashok Adhevada, Bimal Shah")
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