Gujarat polls: 12 more BJP leaders, fighting as independents, suspended

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has suspended 12 rebels who filed their nominations as independent candidates after being denied tickets by the saffron party in the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections.

Notably, this is the second time the incumbent BJP has suspended rebels. The party had also suspended seven rebels on Sunday, according to the news agency ANI.

A BJP communication official revealed, quoting state president C.R Patil said, "These MLAs have been suspended for six years for having indulged in antiparty activities."

The list of suspended BJP leaders includes Dinubhai Patel from Padra, Madhubhai Shrivastav from Vaghodia, Kuldeep Sinh Raul from the Vadodara district, B Pagi from Shahera in Panchmahal district, Dhawal Sinh Jhala from Aravalli district, and Ram Sinh Thakor from Mehsana. 

In addition, two each have been suspended from Anand, Banaskantha, and Mahisagar districts. Manavjibhai Desai and L Thakor are from Banaskantha, SM Baant and JP Patel are from Mahisagar and Ramesh Jhala and Amarshi Bhai Jhala have also been suspended from Anand district.

Gujarat is witnessing a three-cornered electoral contest among three political parties, that is, new entrant Aam Aadmi Party, and the traditional rivals---incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress.

Election campaigns are in full swing in Gujarat as senior leaders of all three parties are holding public rallies in the state. Congress' Rahul Gandhi held two rallies in Surat and Rajkot, while PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP's star campaigner Yogi Adityanath also addressed rallies and public meetings in different areas of the state. On the other hand, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal also held a rally in Amreli on Monday.

The incumbent BJP which is ruling the state for the past 27 years has a huge challenge this time of monotony in the voter's minds and a feeling of change. PM Modi who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2002-2014 gained popularity for his development model of Gujarat. After he became Prime Minister in 2014, the BJP has tried several faces as its Chief Minister who can take forward his legacy.

The elections for the 182-member State Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.

(With ANI inputs)