Morbi MLA’s chances drown in suspension bridge tragedy

Rajkot: Five-time MLA Kanti Amruitya, who had jumped into the Machchhu river soon after suspension bridge collapsed on October 30 to rescue drowning people, surfaced with a handsome reward for his efforts on Thursday when he bagged the BJP ticket for the Morbi seat.
The BJP gave Amrutiya the ticket by dropping sitting MLA Brijesh Merja in the process. But sources claimed that the party had not only chosen to reward Amrutiya for his valour, but also to changed the candidate keeping the resentment of the victims’ families in mind.
Videos of Amrutiya jumping into the river wearing a life jacket had gone viral on social media while Morbi residents showered him with adulations for his selfless service in face of the tragedy that killed 135 people, including many children.
Merja had contested from the Morbi seat on Congress ticket in 2017 election and had defeated Amrutiya, a, MLA for five terms since 1995. Merja, thereafter, had switched party affiliations and won the seat on BJP ticket in 2020 by-election. Talking to reporters in Morbi after he was nominated by the party, Amrutiya said, “I was serving people when I was not an MLA and will continue to serve them. Because of my service to the society, the people of Morbi love me.”
Gondal sessions court had convicted Amrutiya in 2004 in a case of conspiring and killing ex-president of Morbi municipality, Praveen Ravesiya. However, he was acquitted by Gujarat high court in 2007.