Over dozen eye prestigious Rajkot West seat

Large number of BJP leaders are eyeing the prestigious Rajkot (West) seat from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had started his electoral career. The seat was vacated for him in 2002 by BJP veteran Vaju Vala who had won seven times from here.
Former chief minister Vijay Rupani, who represents this urban seat, is unlikely to get a ticket if BJP sticks to its no-repeat policy.
According to BJP sources, Nitin Bhardwaj, considered to be Rupani’s close confidant; Darshita Shah, deputy mayor; Kashyap Shukla, son of Chiman Shukla who laid the foundation of Jan Sangh in Gujarat; Kamlesh Mirani, city BJP president; and Anil Desai, an advocate, are among the claimants for this ticket. The constituency comprises whitecollared, educated, trade and business community voters.