BJP ropes in Mumbai MLAs, MLCs to campaign in Gujarat election

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) is playing all cards to woo voters so as to win the upcoming Gujarat election. Along with city unit chief Ashish Shelar, other legislators and councillors from Mumbai have been roped-in for election campaigning in Gujarat. The reason for increased trust on BJP leaders from Mumbai by Amit Shah, the BJP party president is due to the whooping victory in the recently held Mumbai Municipal Corporation election.

In Mumbai city majority of the citizens are migrated from Gujarat. While Shelar the city unit president successfully managed to increase the strength of the BJP from merely 32 corporators up to 82 against Shiv Sena, and appeared as the second largest party in the commercial capital Mumbai. Therefore, now Shelar has been given 16 constituencies alone in Surat to conduct campaigns for Gujarat assembly election, also other Gujarati speaking legislators like Mangal Prabhat Lodha has been given Navsari constituency, Raj Purohit, Prakash Mehta and leaders like Yogesh Sagar, Mohit Kamboj would also be part of the Gujarat election campaign. Apart from legislators total 15 corporators who have strong connections in Gujarat and won the Mumbai civic election on the basis of Gujarati voters those also been involved.

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According to a party insiders, some days back Shelar took meeting with 15 corporators who would be starting their election campaign from November 5 onwards in Gujarat. The corporators who have been roped-in for Gujarat election includes Prakash Gangadhare of Mulund ward, Manoj Kotak from Ghatkopar, Murji Patel and his wife Kesarben Patel from Andheri are among few who would be seen campaigning door to door.

The polls will be conducted in Gujarat in two phases.The polling for the first phase will be held on December 9 and for the second phase on December 14. The counting of the votes will be held on December 18. Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) convenor Hardik Patel on Thursday said that they will extend their support to the Congress in the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections only if their demands are met.

“If the Congress takes steps in support of our issue (reservation), we will directly or indirectly support the party… The andolan is still on,” Patel told a news agency. Six social organisations of the Patidar community have slammed Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) convenor Hardik Patel’s demand seeking reservation for Patidars under the OBC category.