New Delhi: The BJP has fielded Rivaba Jadeja, cricketer Ravindra Jadeja's wife who joined the party in 2019, from Jamnagar North for the Gujarat elections, dropping current legislator Dharmendrasinh M Jadeja, who is among 38 MLAs replaced as the first list of candidates, 160 of 182, was released today.
Congress import Hardik Patel, from Viramgram, is also on the ruling party's list, as are seven other leaders who fought on the Congress ticket last time.
From Morbi, where a bridge collapse killed over 130 people two weeks ago, the party has replaced the sitting MLA, and instead chosen a former MLA who'd reportedly jumped into the river to save some of the victims of the collapse.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will fight from Ghatlodia.
Announcing the names in Delhi, Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav said the MLAs were replaced with their consent.
The list covers 84 of the 89 seats that vote in the first phase on December 1, and 76 of 93 that go to polls on December 5. Results will be out on December 8, along with those of Himachal Pradesh.
In power in Gujarat for 27 years now, the BJP has not fielded some of its senior leaders, many of whom, such as former chief minister Vijay Rupani, announced that they were opting out on their own.
Among first-timers, Rivaba Jadeja, who's been building support by touring villages for months, is a mechanical engineer by education.
Related to Congress veteran Hari Singh Solanki, she married Ravindra Jadeja in 2016. Banking on the family's Rajput heritage and ex-royal lineage, she has been an active politician in the Jamnagar-Saurashtra region.
Among Congress imports are seven who fought the 2017 elections, such as Pradyuman Jadeja and Ashwin Kotwal.
Hardik Patel, former Working President of Gujarat Congress, could not contest in 2017 as he did not meet the minimum age criterion of 25.
The BJP list announcement came the morning after the party poll panel met under the chairmanship of party chief JP Nadda on November 9. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister were among the attendees.
Gujarat, PM Modi and Amit Shah's home state where the BJP is in power for 27 years running, is seeing a three-way contest this time as the AAP has run a high-decibel campaign to become an alternative to the Congress and BJP.