26 CABINET MANTRIS, 6 BJP CMs ROPED IN FOR GUJARAT POLLS

THE BJP on Friday released its fifth list of 13 candidates for the second phase of Assembly polls in Gujarat, dropping two sitting MLAs. Prahlad Patel, who had joined the BJP ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls after resigning as Congress MLA, did not get a ti

The BJP has roped in Prime Minister Narendra Modi besides 26 cabinet ministers, six Chief Ministers and a dozen MPs to campaign in Gujarat.

Ahmedabad, Nov. 24: As the crucial Gujarat election approaches it has been announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will, starting Monday, address not less than 30 rallies till voting begins on December 9, media reports. He will be accompanied by an entourage of top-level ministers — 26 Cabinet ministers, six Chief Ministers and a dozen MPs — who will cover different parts of the state, urging people to choose BJP for the state.

Among those who will campaign are party chief Amit Shah, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari and Uma Bharti, chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasundhara Raje, Yogi Adityanath and Gujarat's Vijay Rupani.

According to a report on NDTV.com, quoting, a BJP worker in Gujarat states that Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath’s rallies are a ‘hot favourite' among the people.

This ‘over-the-top’ importance given the Gujarat election by the BJP over governance that has led to the opposition to attack the government for delaying the winter session of parliament, which normally begins mid-November.

BJP leaders like finance minister Arun Jaitley have defended the delay saying that it’s hardly anomalous for Parliament sessions to be pushed back to accommodate elections.

Yet, as per an agency report, the Congress persisted, saying that Gujarat adds new proof to its claim that the Mr Modi is election-obsessed, happy to reassign top ministers to the campaign instead of running the country.

The BJP hit back saying that if it’s flooding the state with virtually a third of the cabinet, it’s because it has a roster that’s worth showing off. “We have a galaxy of leaders. The Congress does not have any — and the ones who they do have are being sidelined,” said Anil Jain, a BJP leader handling the campaign.