NEW DELHI: The BJP has decided to field Deputy Mayor of Vadodra Ranjan Ben Bhatta as its candidate for the Vadodra Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat. The seat was vacated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he retained Varanasi as his constituency. Bhatta’s selection puts an end to frantic speculation about BJP chief Amit shah’s likely LS debut.
The BJP also nominated its local leader Prem Singh Shakya to contest from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh. The election had been necessitated since SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had vacated the seat to retain Azamgarh. He too had contested and won from two seats. Mainpuri is Mulayam’s pocketborough. The BSP, though, is not contesting the elections.
The BJP also unveiled the list of 30 candidates for the Assembely bypolls in different states. Of these, 10 candidates are in Uttar Pradesh, nine in Gujarat, three in Rajasthan and Assam each, two in west bengal, and one each in Chattisgarh, Tripura and Sikkim.
Shah has also nominated Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya as election incharge of party in Haryana. The state goes to polls in October.