Gujarat elections: The big faces

NARENDRA MODI

For many Indians, Narendra Modi is the man of the moment, a possible prime minister. Others see the chief minister of Gujarat as a Hindu zealot who did not stop the massacre of Muslims in religious riots a decade ago. Not only is he expected to win a fourth consecutive term as chief minister, Mr Modi is also seen as a serious contender to take on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in national elections due in 2014 if he wins convincingly in Gujarat.

SHWETA BHATT

In her first election ever, , the neophyte Shweta Bhatt takes on the mighty Narendra Modi, who is widely expected to win Gujarat for a third time, in Maninagar, the constituency that has sent him to the state Assembly twice with huge margins. Mrs Bhatt is contesting this election because she is the wife of Sanjiv Bhatt, the IPS officer, right now under suspension, who took on Mr Modi, accusing the Gujarat chief minister of orchestrating the 2002 Gujarat riots. Mrs Bhatt was at the forefront of the pro-Sanjiv Bhatt campaign when her husband was arrested last year after he filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court making his allegation against Mr Modi.

NARHARI AMIN

Former Congress leader Narhari Amin, recently crossed over to BJP only days before the Gujarat Assembly elections. He has alleged that senior leaders of the faction-ridden Opposition subverted ticket distribution process for elections, which prompted party cadres to defect. Mr Amin denied any reports that Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is also the president of Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), has promised him any post in the organisation. He said he joined BJP "without any expectation".

KESHUBHAI PATEL

A former BJP strongman,Keshubhai Patel formally announced the launch of his new party in August after he resigned from the BJP. His new party is called Gujarat Parivartan Party. Mr Patel's new party could see a realignment of anti-Modi forces in the state.

SHANKERSINH VAGHELA

A former Union Minister, Shankersinh Vaghela is also in charge of Gujarat. Mr Vaghela, who has earlier been with the BJP before switching his loyalty to the Congress, is also the chairman of Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC). He has roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and joined the Congress less than two decades ago.

AMIT SHAH

A former minister in Narendra Modi's Gujarat cabinet and a powerful BJP leader, Amit Shah, will contest from Naranpura in Ahmedabad. Mr Shah is one of the accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsi Prajapati alleged fake encounter cases and is out on bail. Mr Shah had won the last assembly elections from Sarkhej with a vote margin even bigger than Mr Modi's. Sarkhej has, after delimitation, been split into three constituencies, one of which is Naranpura. He is known to be close to Mr Modi and held many portfolios in his cabinet before he was arrested in the Sohrabuddin case in July 2010.