Analysis of the first list of BJP candidates announced yesterday in Gujarat.
- A clear stamp of Shahenshah: Amit Shah spent three days at Kamalam just working on the list. It reflects.
- Forget all criteria that C R Paatil talked about. Winnability is the only mantra considered.
Sad Truth: Winnability of candidates largely depend on her/his caste. BJP has announced 160 of 182 candidates. Here’s a brief Caste analysis:
- OBC – 47
- Patel -38
- ST-26
- SC- 13
- Kshatriya -19
- Brahmins -13
- Jain-2
- Sindhi- 1
- Christian – 1
- Muslims: Zero
With the dropping of several senior BJP leaders from the candidate list, including ex-CM Vijay Rupani, ex-Deputy CM Nitin Patel & others, a new proverb has sprung from the Gujarat Model. आज के असंतुष्ट : कल के मार्गदर्शक।
Out of the 160 candidates declared by BJP for Gujarat Election 2022 so far, only two candidates have a PhD, 14 have a postgraduate degree, +14 are diploma/degree engineers, and 44 are graduates. 40 candidates have studied below standard 10.
Congress fields Indranil Rajyaguru from Rajkot East. The BJP has fielded Uday Kangad from there. Last-minute changes are possible on this seat with Indranil’s entity. Indranil did Ghar wapasi to Congress earlier this week from Aam Aadmi Party. In 2017, Indranil lost against Vijay Rupani.
Jailed Milk co-operative leader Vipul Chaudhary, Arbuda Sena sources claim, is keen to contest on Aam Aadmi Party ticket from Visnagar in North Gujarat. He has earlier been with Congress, RJP and BJP.
NCP appears to be changing its strategy in Gujarat. And right now, NCP has only one MLA Kandhal Jadeja, son of late Santokben aka Godmother. He may join BJP. Reshma Patel will be the Gondal candidate of the Party. Also, the party is still not sure about Jayant Boski.
Gujarat Congress leaders say that Rahul Gandhi talking about how Gujarat was “snatching” away projects earmarked for Maharashtra is drawing accolades for him in Maharashtra where Bharat Jodo Yatra is, but this fact is helping the BJP in poll bound Gujarat.
Politics maketh best friends foes. Even brothers! This is the case in Ankleshwar, South Gujarat. The BJP candidate is Ishvarsinh Patel and the Congress candidate is Vijaysinh Patel. Both are real brothers.
D.K. Swami, a saint in Amod with a Swaminarayan sub-sect, has been given the BJP ticket from Jambusar in south Gujarat. D K Swamy claims to be a close associate of Uttarpradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
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