After getting tickets, all the 15 BJP candidates in Gujarat have started campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections, but the suspense is increasing regarding Vadodara seat. Vadodara seat has been held by BJP for a long time. Now it remains to be seen which name is approved in the CEC meeting to be held on March 6.
Amidst the discussions about External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar contesting on this seat, the name of Deepika Chikhalikha, who played Sita in Ramayana, had come up. Deepika Chikhalia had won from here for the first time as a BJP candidate. Maharani Radhika Raje’s name is also being taken in the race for ticket from Vadodara. Raje has been active in social work for long. Now there is speculation that former Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana will contest on the Vadodara seat. Rakesh Asthana, an IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, has also previously been the CP of Vadodara. He retired as CP of Delhi Police after working in CBI.
Originally from Bihar (now Jharkhand), Asthana was born in Ranchi. If sources are to be believed, Rakesh Asthana’s name has also been registered as a voter in Vadodara. Asthana first came into limelight in 1996 after investigating the fodder scam. After this, Lalu Yadav was arrested for the first time in 1997.
Ranjanben Bhatt is currently the MP from Vadodara. After a big victory from this seat in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had resigned. Since then Ranjanben Bhatt is an MP from the city. The party has given him chance twice.
At the local level, the names of BJP Chief Whip in Gujarat Assembly Balu Bhai Shukla, former Law Minister Rajendra Trivedi, former State General Secretary Bhargav Bhatt, City President Vijay Shah, and former Mayor Jyoti Ben Pandya are included among the women probables.
The names of BJP candidates are yet to be decided on 11 seats of Gujarat. Amidst this, there is more anxiety being seen in the three seats of Vadodara, Surat and Mehsana. There is talk that the party may field Deepika Chikhlia from Surat. The matter has become interesting after former Deputy CM Nitin Patel withdrew his claim in Mehsana. It is being discussed whether the party will give a chance to more women in the next list. Till now there were six women MPs from Gujarat. Only women have got tickets in the first list.
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