Cricketer Ravindra Jadeja's Wife On BJP Probable List For Gujarat: Sources

Cricketer Ravindra Jadeja's wife Rivaba Jadeja, who joined the BJP three years ago, is among those likely to get the party ticket for the Gujarat assembly polls, sources said, as the BJP Central Election Committee is to meet today to decide finalise candidates.

The party, in power in Gujarat for 27 years now, may not field some of its senior leaders, such as former chief minister Vijay Rupani and former deputy chief minister Nitin Patel. Those who've crossed 75 years of age will be ineligible, it is learnt, as will be relatives of MPs and MLAs.

Rivaba Jadeja is a mechanical engineer by education and is related to Congress veteran Hari Singh Solanki. She married Ravindra Jadeja in 2016. She has been a leader of the Karni Sena, a Rajput community outfit, too.   

Congress imports Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor will be among the younger leaders to get the BJP ticket, sources said, while a large number of sitting MLAs will not be on the list this time.

The panel will meet under the chairmanship of party chief JP Nadda, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister will be among the attendees.

PM Modi and Amit Shah's home state, Gujarat is scheduled to vote on December 1 and 5. Results will be out on December 8, along with those of Himachal Pradesh, where too the BJP is hoping to retain power.

The party's core group for Gujarat met in Delhi on Tuesday — for three hours at JP Nadda's house — and names were discussed as a preparatory step towards today's meeting. Members of that group include Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, state unit president CR Patil, and Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya among others.

The elections are turning out to be a three-way fight. While the Congress, which increased its vote share and seats last time, has kept its campaign low-key — it says that's intentional — the Aam Aadmi Party has mounted a mega campaign, determined to disrupt what it calls "a friendly match" between the two main parties.

The BJP, at its meet today, is likely to finalise all 182 candidates that it will announce over the next few days, sources said.

In 2017, the BJP won 99 seats and Congress got 77. After defections and resignations from the Congress, at present the BJP's strength in the assembly is 111.