Union ministers Bhupender Yadav named the candidates.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday released the first list of 160 candidates for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly elections. The party fielded Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel from his constituency Ghatlodia and dropped a number of sitting MLAs.
The party named its candidates for 84 of the 89 seats which will go to the polls in the first phase on December 1 and 76 of 93 candidates going to the polls in the second phase on December 5.
The list includes 14 women, and 13 and 24 members from the Schedules Castes and Schedules Tribes respectively.
Former MLA Kantilal Amrutiya who reportedly jumped into a river to save lives after the bridge collapse tragedy in Morbi, has also been fielded.