BJP on Thursday released its first list of 160 candidates for the 182-member Gujarat upcoming Assembly elections.
Polling in Gujarat will take place in two phases on December 1 and 5. The result will be declared on December 8.
The party named its candidates for 84 of the 89 seats which will go to the polls in the first phase on December 1 and 76 of 93 candidates going to the polls in the second phase on December 5.
The prominent names announced include Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, former Morbi MLA Kantilal Amrutya, cricketer Ravindra Jadeja’s wife Rivaba Jadeja and Hardik Patel.
Bhupendra Patel will contest the elections from the Ghatlodiya constituency.
Jadeja’s wife Rivaba Jadeja will contest from the Jamnagar Uttam constituency. Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi will contest the election from the Majura constituency.
Hardik Patel, the face of Patidar agitation who quit the Congress to join the BJP, has been fielded from Viramgam.
The list comes after a meeting of the BJP central election committee held on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, BJP President JP Nadda and other top leaders attended the meeting at the party headquarters.
The list includes 14 women, and 13 and 24 members from the Schedules Castes and Schedules Tribes respectively.
Meanwhile, the former chief minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel announced on Wednesday that they won’t contest in the upcoming assembly elections.
In the last assembly elections, Gujarat the BJP had won 99 seats and its main rival Congress bagged 77 seats.
