The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Modhwadia, Chirag among 4 Cong turncoats in Gujarat BJP bypoll list
ALL FOUR Congress MLAS and an Independent legislator in Gujarat who crossed over to the BJP, have found a place in the ruling party’s list of candidates announced Tuesday for the Assembly bypolls.
The BJP has fielded former Gujaratcongresschiefandporbandar MLA Arjun Modhwadia, who joined the party earlier this month, from the same seat while its candidate for Manavadar is excongresslegislatorarvindladani, whojoinedthepartyonmarch14.
Manavadarwillbewitnessing its fourth election in six years as Ladani became the second Congressmlatoresignandjointhebjp ranks. After winning the 2017 election, then Congress MLA Jawahar Chavda had resigned in the run up to the 2019 LS election and joined the BJP that made him a cabinet-rank minister. He won thebypollconductedwiththelok Sabha election in 2019 as a BJP candidate. Manavadar was among 17 of 182 seats Congress wonbackin2022assemblypolls.
Porbandar and Manavadar were the only Congress-held Assembly seats among the seven falling under the Porbandar LS constituency, from where BJP has fielded Union Minister Mansukh Mandviya for the LS polls. While four Assembly seats – Gondal, Jetpur, Dhoraji and Keshod – are held by the BJP, the Kutiyana seat is held by the Samajwadi Party (SP)’S Kandhal Jadeja, who is seen to be allied with the BJP.
“In Gujarat, we will win all 26 seats with a margin of five lakh,” Modhwadia said Tuesday.
Modhwadia has contested Assembly elections five times – 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017 and 2022 – of which he won thrice (2002, 2007 and 2022).
The other two Congress turncoats who have been fielded by BJP are Chirag Patel from Khambhat, who joined on February 4 and C J Chavda from Vijapur, who switched on February 7. Vijapur was the only Congressheld seat among the seven Assembly segments under the Mehsana LS seat, where BJP has named first-timer Haribhai Patel as a candidate.
Chirag was first Congress MLA to resign on December 19 last year. Khambhat is one of seven Assembly seats under the Anand LS seat. While six are held by the BJP, one – Anklav – is held by the Congress’s Amit Chavda. Independent MLA from Waghodia, Dharmendrasinh Vaghela, who returned to BJP, was fielded from the same seat.