Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra the Modi on Friday filed his nomination paper at Maninagar constituency in Ahmedabad for the Assembly elections.
Modi filed his nomination paper before Maninagar constituency returning officer P K Jadeja, at the Collector’s office here. The Congress has fielded Shweta Bhatt, wife of suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, against Modi. Shweta’s candidacy evoked strong reactions from the BJP leadership, with the party alleging Bhatt of acting in close co-ordination with the Congress.
Modi, addressing party workers at Maninagar before filing his nomination paper, hit out at the Congress top brass and dared it to make Ahmed Patel, political secretary of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, its chief ministerial candidate. He also accused the Congress of entering into backroom politics with Keshubhai Patel’s Gujarat Parivartan Party by not fielding any candidate in Visavadar constituency, where Keshubhai is contesting. “They lack the gumption to proclaim they have an understanding with some other party and made some arrangements behind the scene,” Modi said.
Ridiculing the Congress’ Visavadar candidate Ratibhai Mangroliya, who lamented his mandate had been “stolen” by a child, Modi said the partymen were weeping over their hijacked mandate by a 12-year-old boy in Visavadar. “The boy knows what is good for Gujarat,” Modi said. “Why aren’t they declaring they have made the decision to make Patel the Gujarat chief minister? Why all these games behind the scenes. They should make all that public,” he added.