AHMEDABAD/ VADODARA: The BJP leadership swung into action on Sunday to mollify sitting MLAs and other senior functionaries brooding over denial of tickets to contest the assembly polls, with home minister Amit Shah leading the effort on a day six-time legislator Madhu Shrivastava ended his 25-year association with the saffron party over not being renominated from Waghodia.
Several disgruntled BJP members were called to the state party headquarters, for apep talk with Shah. BJP also deputed veterans like state party chief C R Paatil, ex-CM Vijay Rupani, Parshottam Rupala, Bhargav Bhatt, Pradipsinh Vaghela, Mansukh Mandaviya and Harsh Sanghavi to visit various constituencies and reach out to those who missed out on tickets.
Shrivastava, who exited BJP along with 500-odd supporters, said he would decide in a couple of days whether toindependently contest the seat after getting an insight into what voters want. тАЬI am thankful to BJP for letting me serve people, but this time I wasnтАЩt allowed to do it. I had a lot of work to finish but I wasnтАЩt given a ticket,тАЭ he said.
On whether anyone from BJP had tried to pacify him, he said, тАЬI had discussed the issue with Amit Shah, who asked me to wait for two days. But nobody has since come to meet meтАЭ.
BJP has granted tickets to 10 of the 19 Congress MLAs, or their immediate family members who joined the saffron party after the 2017 assembly polls. It has denied tickets to 38 of its sitting MLAs. BJP ticket aspirants who didnтАЩt make the cut staged protests at Viramgam, Nandod, Waghodia, Manjalpur, Padra, Karjan and Naroda in central Gujarat. Voices of dissent were also reported in Wankaner, Botad, Mahuva, Kalavad and Talala in Saurashtra. In north Gujarat, workers objected to candidates chosen by the party for Bayad, Visnagar, Mehsana, Himmatnagar, Dhanera, Vijapur, Becharaji, and Deesa. The supporters of Zankhana Patelhave also been holding protests.
Three days ago, Waghodia MLA Shrivastava said he wouldnтАЩt contest the polls, but wanted a ticket for his wife. Later, he claimed to be joking.
Several disgruntled BJP members were called to the state party headquarters, for apep talk with Shah. BJP also deputed veterans like state party chief C R Paatil, ex-CM Vijay Rupani, Parshottam Rupala, Bhargav Bhatt, Pradipsinh Vaghela, Mansukh Mandaviya and Harsh Sanghavi to visit various constituencies and reach out to those who missed out on tickets.
Shrivastava, who exited BJP along with 500-odd supporters, said he would decide in a couple of days whether toindependently contest the seat after getting an insight into what voters want. тАЬI am thankful to BJP for letting me serve people, but this time I wasnтАЩt allowed to do it. I had a lot of work to finish but I wasnтАЩt given a ticket,тАЭ he said.
On whether anyone from BJP had tried to pacify him, he said, тАЬI had discussed the issue with Amit Shah, who asked me to wait for two days. But nobody has since come to meet meтАЭ.
BJP has granted tickets to 10 of the 19 Congress MLAs, or their immediate family members who joined the saffron party after the 2017 assembly polls. It has denied tickets to 38 of its sitting MLAs. BJP ticket aspirants who didnтАЩt make the cut staged protests at Viramgam, Nandod, Waghodia, Manjalpur, Padra, Karjan and Naroda in central Gujarat. Voices of dissent were also reported in Wankaner, Botad, Mahuva, Kalavad and Talala in Saurashtra. In north Gujarat, workers objected to candidates chosen by the party for Bayad, Visnagar, Mehsana, Himmatnagar, Dhanera, Vijapur, Becharaji, and Deesa. The supporters of Zankhana Patelhave also been holding protests.
Three days ago, Waghodia MLA Shrivastava said he wouldnтАЩt contest the polls, but wanted a ticket for his wife. Later, he claimed to be joking.
