Don’t ask questions on Modi-Shah’s choice of candidates, says Gujarat BJP chief

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat BJP chief CR Patil has warned the party’s ‘page committee’ members in Anand against factionalism, saying they have “no right to question” the decision of PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in the selection of party candidates. Patil addressed ‘page committee’ members in Anand district and inaugurated the district ‘Kamalam’ office on Monday.

The ‘Panna Pramukh’ (page in-charge) concept, a brainchild of Shah, was first used in the 2007 Gujarat assembly polls and has since been replicated in other states. A ‘panna pramukh’ acts as the head of one page (both front and back) of a voters list consisting of the names of nearly 30 voters.

A Panna Pramukh’s responsibility is to ensure that the voters listed on the pages of electoral rolls cast their votes on the voting day. They have to also establish regular contact with voters on their page and motivate them to vote for the saffron party.

The AAP has begun announcing its candidates in the poll-bound state. The main opposition Congress is in the process to do so and the BJP is under pressure to announce its nominations.

“Don’t worry about who gets the ticket…That will be decided by PM Modi and Amit Shah. I don’t have the power to allot the ticket. At times, many capable ticket aspirants are disappointed. They need not,” said Patil. He said the party would send the biodata of each ticket aspirant to Delhi. He said if the aspirants had complaints, they could put them before the visiting party observers.

Shah says PM Modi ‘Bhagirath’ of Gujarat 
Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that PM Modi worked as Bhagirath as he brought Narmada water to Ahmedabad. He was addressing the farmer’s convention at Balawa in Ahmedabad district in Gujarat Shah said, “Congress had lingered Narmada Dam Project since 1964. As soon as, Narendra Modi became CM, he worked hard to bring water from Narmada to the Ahmedabad district. Narendrabhai became the Bhagirath of Gujarat.”