Gujarat BJP finalises panel of names of Lok Sabha candidates

Gujarat BJP’s Parliamentary Board finalised the panel of names of candidates for Lok Sabha seats. Gujarat will vote in a single phase on April 23.

Gujarat list will soon be sent to the central leadership for approval. The names will be sent to the BJP’s central Parliamentary Board for final selection of candidates, a party leader said.

Suspense prevails over who will contest from the Ahmedabad East seat, currently held by veteran actor Paresh Rawal, as speculation is rife that he has decided not to fight the polls due to his busy schedule.

“After deliberations spread over three days, the panel of names has been prepared for all the 26 seats of the state,” Gujarat BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya told reporters in Gandhinagar.

“At a date given by the BJP’s central leadership, top state leaders will go to Delhi and present the names before the central Parliamentary Board of the party,” he said.

“The final decision regarding candidates will be taken by the central Parliamentary Board,” Pandya said.

The panel of names may contain two to four names for each seat, party sources said. According to BJP observers, party workers want a national leader to contest from the prestigious constituency, the sources said.

Two sitting MPs of the BJP, Liladhar Vaghela (Patan) and Vitthal Radadiya (Porbandar), have declined to contest the polls due to health reasons, the sources said, adding they will be replaced.