Gujarat elections 2017: In BJP fort Mehsana, its Nitin Patel vs Jivabhai Patel

Deputy chief minister and one of the most prominent faces of the BJP in Gujarat, Nitin Patel, is facing a tough fight from Mehsana, a seat the BJP has won in the last six successive Assembly elections.

A key Patidar face, Nitin Patel, who was almost named the CM before Vijay Rupani's appointment last year, is taking on former Lok Sabha MP Jivabhai Patel, another influential community leader, in the battle for the prestigious seat.

Mehsana was the epicentre of Patidar reservation agitation, and had borne the brunt of violence with protesters targeting homes and offices of several elected Patidar representatives, and not surprisingly, Patidar reservation is the biggest issue in Mehsana.

While conceding that a certain section of Patidars were unhappy with BJP, Nitin Patel said he was confident of winning with a good margin. He also dismissed Jivabhai Patel as a serious challenger saying, "Jivabhai doesn't live in Mehsana. He lives in Surat, and for six months a year, he is out of India."

He, however, stopped short of calling Jivabhai, 79, an outsider, saying it was for people to decide.

The Congress candidate, on the other hand is banking on anti-incumbency, and lack of development in Mehsana and the region to seek votes.

Nitin Patel and Jivabhai had faced off against each other in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Jivabhai had emerged the winner then with a margin of 14,000 votes, and is looking for a repeat.

Constituency Mehsana

Previous Results
2002: BJP
2007: BJP
2012: BJP
Total Voters
2,59,354
Male
1,34,672
Female
1,24,682