Gujarat Lok Sabha elections: From Home Minister Amit Shah to CR Patil, a look at key candidates

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Gujarat, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bastion, is the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the state will be held in a single phase on May 7.

The state has a total of 26 parliamentary constituencies. Polling will be conducted in 25 seats as BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal was earlier declared elected unopposed from the Surat seat after the nomination of Congress’ Nilesh Kumbhani was rejected while other candidates withdrew from the contest.

In the last two general elections, 2014 and 2019, the state has witnessed a historic clean sweep by the saffron party. Last time, it received a vote share of 62.21%.

In 2024, the Congress is contesting polls in Gujarat in alliance with the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Here’s a look at some of the key candidates to watch out for in Gujarat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections:

1. Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is eyeing a second consecutive term from the crucial Gandhinagar seat, which earlier sent stalwarts like former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani to the Parliament. In 2019, Shah defeated rival Congress candidate, CJ Chavda, by more than 5.57 lakh votes.

2. Parshottam Rupala

Union Minister Parshottam Rupala is contesting polls from the Rajkot seat after the BJP announced him as a replacement for two-time sitting MP Mohan Kundariya. The saffron party has won this seat since 1989, except for the 2009 polls when Congress’ Kunvarji Bavalia defeated BJP’s Kirankumar Patel. Meanwhile, the Kshatriyas have been protesting against Rupala for his alleged remarks against the erstwhile rulers of the community during British rule.

3. Chaitar Vasava

Vasava is AAP’s sitting MLA from the Dediapada Assembly seat. Eyeing a Lok Sabha term from the Bharuch constituency, Vasava has a total of 13 criminal cases, including dacoity, sexual harassment, abetment of suicide and hate speech, against him. He is pitted against BJP’s Mansukhbhai Vasava.

4. Mansukh Mandaviya

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is representing the BJP from the Porbandar seat, which has a large number of Leuva Patidars, a sub-caste of the electorally and numerically strong Patel community. Mandaviya, hailing from Bhavnagar district, has so far reached the Parliament through the Rajya Sabha route.

5. CR Patil

CR Patil, who was appointed as the president of the BJP Gujarat unit in July 2020, has been representing the Navsari seat since 2009. He is currently looking forward to a fourth consecutive term in this constituency.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow