Will Amit Shah contest from LK Advani's constituency, Gandhinagar?
BJP workers want party president Amit Shah to contest from Gujarat's Gandhinagar seat in the upcoming general elections, reports PTI. The seat is currently held by BJP veteran LK Advani, but there is little clarity on whether he would contest this time. On Saturday, BJP, which has governments both at Centre and state, sent observers to Gandhinagar to judge the mood of the area.
Party workers unanimously suggested Shah's name
The observers spoke to party workers and MLAs to understand who should be nominated from the fancied seat. And almost all party workers suggested Shah's name. "BJP workers want party president Amit Shah to contest from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat. I made this demand in front of the observers and it was supported by all," said Kishor Chauhan, party MLA from Vejalpur.
Observers revealed what happened after the meeting
Workers told party observer Prithviraj Patel that since the seat has been held by BJP's tallest leaders in the past, this time as well a candidate of national stature should contest from there. Another observer Nimaben Acharya said no BJP member has staked the claim for the seat and everyone "in one voice demanded that their national leader contest from the seat."
Notably, Shah has a connection with Gandhinagar
Meanwhile, Bharat Pandya, BJP spokesperson in the state, said the party's parliamentary board will decide who will contest from Gandhinagar or any other seat for that matter. The assembly constituencies of Gandhinagar North, Kalol, Sanand, Ghatlodia, Vejalpur, Naranpura and Sabarmati, make up for the Gandhinagar seat. Earlier, Shah was the MLA from Sarkhej seat, which was once a part of the Gandhinagar constituency.
Gandhinagar is one of BJP's safest bets
The Gandhinagar seat is BJP's bastion and most importantly it has become synonymous to Advani. He has been fighting from Gandhinagar since 1991 and has never lost. In 1998, Advani won the Gandhinagar seat by a gigantic margin of 2.77 lakh. Meanwhile, in 1996, late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee contested from Gandhinagar and won. He also won from Lucknow.
Will 2019 mark the end of Advani-era?
This time around, Advani, who is 92-year-old, may not contest elections altogether. However, an official announcement is awaited. In the last five years, Advani has rarely visited Gandhinagar, probably due to his age. If he decides to voluntarily opt out of elections, it will be the end of the road for the "Yatra man" who catapulted BJP to national prominence.
