Amit Shah Files Nomination From Gandhinagar After NDA's Show Of Strength

BJP president Amit Shah filed his nomination for the national election from Gandhinagar this afternoon, flanked by union ministers Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley, and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in a massive show of strength by the National Democratic Alliance or NDA.

A galaxy of top leaders, including union ministers and many NDA allies, had shared stage with Mr Shah at a public meeting in Gandhinagar this morning and then held a road show through the city.

Mr Shah said he is "blessed" to contest from the seat which leaders like party veterans Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani have represented.

"This election will be fought only on the issue of who will lead the country... When I ask this question to people from Himachal to Kanyakumari and from Kamrup to Gandhinagar, I can only hear one sound - 'Modi, Modi, Modi'." Mr Shah said.

Uddhav Thackeray, whose Shiv Sena has shared a fractious relationship with the BJP, said, "A lot of people are surprised that I am here."

"When we sat together we have solved our issues and our disagreements... Hindutva is our breath. How will we live without Hindutva?" Mr Thackeray, whose party patched up with the BJP in February, said.

The presence of top NDA leaders at Amit Shah's nomination filing is being seen by observers as a show of support for Mr Shah and an acknowledgement of him being the second most powerful leader in the alliance after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Amit Shah contesting Gandhinagar is seen as the end of the road for LK Advani, who held the seat for six terms. Mr Advani, who has been upset ever since he was replaced, was not present at today's road show.

Mr Advani, 91, is the founder member of BJP and is credited with taking the party to the national stage with his rathyatra campaign for a Ram temple at Ayodhya in 1990.

He had won the seat for the first time in 1991 by defeating GI Patel of Congress by a margin of over 1.25 lakh votes. In 2014, Mr Advani won by over four lakh votes in 2014.

The last date for filing nominations is April 4. Voting for all the 26 seats of Gujarat will take place on April 23.