Ahmedabad:
The ruling BJP and the Congress faced massive dissidence as the filing of nominations for the first phase of the Gujarat elections ended today. Party members openly revolted, switching loyalties or deciding to contest as independents.
For the Congress, the biggest revolt came in Junagadh. Girish Kotecha, four-time deputy mayor of the Junagadh Municipal Corporation, was denied a Congress ticket and filed his nomination papers as an independent.
The Congress has fielded Bhikhabhai Joshi as its candidate from Junagadh. Kotecha and 24 supporting municipal councillors in the corporation have resigned.
Denied a ticket, Kalubhai Virani, the BJP MLA from Savarkundla in Amreli district, filed his nomination paper as an independent candidate. "I have undertaken considerable work in my constituency. I am confident that people will vote for me on the basis of my work," he said.
Four BJP municipal councillors resigned to protest against the party's decision to allot a ticket to Sangita Patil for the Limbayat constituency.
"Instead of giving the ticket to a local leader, the party has selected Sangita Patil. She is from Udhna, not Limbayat," said a dissenting leader.