Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held from April 11 and will go on till May 19 in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
The BJP has decided to field Hasmukh S Patel who is an MLA of Amraiwadi for Ahmedabad-East Lok Sabha seat in place of Paresh Rawal. A Kadva Paatidar, Patel became an MLA in 2012 and 2017.
Earlier, Paresh Rawal had said: “I had told the party 4-5 months ago that I do not want to contest the elections. But, ultimately it is the party's decision.
Probable candidates had included CK Patel, Vallabh Kakadiya and Jagdish Panchal.
Congress has fielded Hardik Patel's colleague in PAAS and the quota agitation's female face Gita Patel from this seat and as such, made it necessary for the BJP to field a Patel leader to keep the largest voters' chunk on their side.
The Congress has fielded MLA C J Chavda against BJP president Amit Shah from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat and declared nine other candidates in Gujarat.
The opposition party released a list of four names including Chavda late Tuesday night and announced another six candidates Wednesday night.
With this, the Congress has so far declared candidates for 24 out of 26 Lok Sabha constituencies in Gujarat, where the last date of filing of nominations is April 4 and the date of polling is April 23.
Chavda, a two-time MLA from Gandhinagar-North Assembly seat, said he will give a tough fight to Shah.
The Congress has also given ticket to Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti convener Geeta Patel, a supporter of Congress leader Hardik Patel, from Ahmedabad-East.
The party has fielded its Limbdi MLA Soma Patel from Surendranagar to take on the BJP's Mahendra Munjpara.
It has given ticket to Murubhai Kandoriya from Jamnagar -- from where Hardik Patel had earlier planned to contest -- against BJP's Poonam Madam.
The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to grant urgent hearing to Hardik Patel's plea seeking a stay to his conviction in a 2015 rioting case, virtually dashing his hopes of contesting the election.
In the list released Wednesday night, the Congress named Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Paresh Dhanani as its candidate from Amreli.
Dhanani filed his nomination papers in the afternoon even before his name was announced. He claimed the party high command asked him to file his papers.
The party fielded Parthi Bhatol, former BJP leader, from Banaskantha; sitting MLA from Modasa Rajendra Thakor from Sabarkantha and Manahar Patel from Bhavnagar.
It has also given ticket to another BJP turncoat, Bimal Shah, from Kheda, and fielded Ashok Adhevada from Surat.
The state unit of the party is expecting announcement of candidates for the remaining two seats by Wednesday night.
The saffron party had swept all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat in 2014.
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