Vadodara: BJP’s decision of not giving tickets to those who were above the age of 60 years and to those elected on three occasions and relatives of leaders, has left many in the party surprised. These include heavyweights who were eyeing tickets for themselves or their relatives in the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) polls.
Waghodiya MLA Madhu Shrivastava’s son Dipak Shrivastava was a corporator from the Waghodiya Road area and is eyeing a ticket again. Similarly, Dabhoi BJP MLA Shailesh Mehta is eyeing a ticket for his son Dhrumil Mehta. Shailesh was also a corporator, along with Dipak from the same ward. Former BJP MP from Chhota Udepur, Ramsinh Rathwa and former BJP MLA from Sankheda Abhesinh Gadvi had also sought tickets for their children.
Apart from Dipak, Madhu is also eyeing tickets for other relatives in the panchayat polls in Waghodiya taluka. Vadodara MP Ranjan Bhatt’s sister Panna Desai is a corporator from ward two. Former standing committee chairman Ajit Patel is also eyeing a ticket for his son from the party. Patel whose priority is getting a ticket for himself has also served three terms and does not fit in the criteria.
Leader of the ruling BJP in VMC, Ketan Brahmbhatt, also becomes ineligible in wake of the three-term norm announced on Monday. Also, several women corporators are related to BJP workers. Former mayor Dalsukh Prajapati, who joined the BJP a few years and was the chairman of Gujarat Matikam Kalakari and Rural Technology Institute, has his son Rajesh Prajapati in the line for a ticket.
It would also be interesting to see if the BJP grants a ticket to heavyweight Rajesh Ayre, who recently joined the party again. Ayre has been a corporator for three terms that include one as an independent, one from the BJP and the last one from the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha.