LK Advani is the oldest of them all

Congress may be 'a 125-year-old budhiya' but BJP's prime ministerial candidate LK Advani is not too far behind. He is the oldest among all the Lok Sabha candidates in Gujarat.

The data available from the Election Commission (EC) indicates that Advani is older than not only BJP but also Congress candidates and the others. According to the official records of the 359 candidates contesting the 26 parliamentary constituencies in the state, the oldest candidate in Gujarat is 81, while the youngest candidate is 25.

Advani, 81, is the only candidate who has crossed 80. There are four candidates on the 25-year-old mark. Independent candidate Shatrudhnadas Sugat, who is contesting from Navsari constituency, is 78 years old. There are about eight candidates who are around 80 years of age.

After Advani, the second oldest candidate of BJP is Somji Damor, 70. Damor is fighting election from Dahod seat against Naran Rathwa, 55, who is the Union minister of state for railways.

The oldest among Congress candidates is Kheda MP Dinsha Patel, 71, and Mehsana MP Jivabhai Patel, 70. Dinsha is contesting against BJP's MLA from Matar Devusinh Chauhan, 44, while Jivabhai Patel is fighting against Jayshree Patel, 50, who is the chairman of the Gujarat women's commission.

In BJP, the youngest candidate is Ritesh Vasava, 32, who is contesting from Bardoli. In Congress, it is Tushar Chaudhry, 43, who is contesting for the Bardoli parliamentary seat.

Also, there is not much to separate between the two parties in terms of candidates above 60. Six BJP candidates and seven Congress candidates are above 60.