News Brief
Troubles For BJP Candidates In Gujarat: Ranjanben Bhatt And Bhikhaji Thakor To Bow Out Of Lok Sabha Polls After Internal Protests
Bhuvan Krishna
Mar 24, 2024, 04:37 PM | Updated 04:37 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
After facing protests from local party members, two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in Gujarat, Ranjanben Bhatt, the incumbent MP from Vadodara, and Bhikhaji Thakor, the party's nominee for Sabarkantha, have declared their unwillingness to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in their respective constituencies.
Both candidates were named in the BJP's initial list, as per a report by The Hindu.
Bhatt was chosen by the party for the third consecutive time, while Thakor was selected as a new candidate to replace the sitting MP from Sabarkantha in North Gujarat.
According to the same report there were objections from local party workers regarding their candidacies.
Bhatt took to social media to announce her decision not to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls due to "personal reasons," following protests from a section of party members and the appearance of posters against her candidacy in Vadadara.
Recently, Ketan Inamdar, the party's MLA from Savali in Vadodara district, reportedly "resigned" due to the party's decision to nominate Bhatt for the third time.
However, he withdrew his resignation following a meeting with state party chief C R Paatil. Inamdar was also discontented with Bhatt's nomination as she had performed poorly as a two-time parliamentarian from Vadodara.
A party leader remarked that she had become disconnected from local workers and had exhibited inappropriate behaviour towards BJP functionaries and legislators.
In the case of Sabarkantha, Thakor's selection did not sit well with local party members in this OBC-dominated constituency. Some local leaders even raised questions about his caste credentials, asserting that he was originally a tribal who changed his caste to Thakor to contest the elections in this Thakor-dominated area.
As of now, there has been no statement or response from the state BJP regarding the announcements made by the two candidates on their personal social media accounts.
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Bhuvan Krishna is Staff Writer at Swarajya.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.