Amit Shah sent to defuse tension over denial of tickets; says Bhupendra Patel will be CM again

Union Home Minister Amit Shah pacifies local BJP leaders at party headquarters Kamalam after several BJP leaders threatened to contest polls as Independent candidates after being denied party tickets. Says Bhupendra Patel will be the chief minister, if BJP wins.

Gandhinagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah rushed to poll-bound Gujarat and held a marathon meeting with local BJP leaders at party headquarters Shree Kamalam after several BJP leaders quit the party and announced to contest polls as Independent candidates as they denied party tickets.

Till now BJP has announced 166 candidates for the Assembly elections. As soon as the Byad Assembly ticket was announced, BJP's defeated candidate from East Byad, Dhavalsingh Jhala took out a massive rally on Sunday and showcased his strength. On Monday, more than 500 workers reached Gandhinagar in support of Dhavalsingh Jhala and demanded a ticket for him.

Speaking to the media, workers praised the work done by Dhavalsingh Jhala and claimed that Jhala remains available to the public 24x7 like 108 ambulance service. On the other hand, BJP's candidate Bhikhiben Parmar said, "He (Jhala) got the voting done in favour of the Congress candidate during the 2019 Gujarat Assembly by-elections and that is the reason why he was denied a ticket."

Bhupendra Patel will be CM again

Bhupendra Patel will remain the chief minister of Gujarat if BJP secures a majority in the next month's Assembly elections, Shah said. Shah's statement makes it clear that Patel is the chief ministerial candidate of the BJP, which is eyeing the seventh consecutive term in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah.

"If BJP gets a majority in Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel will be the next chief minister," Shah told CNN-News18 here. Patel replaced Vijay Rupani as the chief minister in September 2021, a move that surprised many. He is the first-time MLA from the Ghatlodia constituency. He is renominated from the same seat.