Ahmedabad: The BJP MLA from Morbi along with four other ministers are among the 38 sitting BJP MLAs who have been dropped from the BJP's candidate list for the upcoming Assembly elections in Gujarat.
The sitting BJP MLA from Morbi Brijesh Merja who is also the State Minister of State for Labour and Employment Brijesh Merja has been denied a ticket by the saffron party which announced on Thursday the names of 160 candidates for the two-phase elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly . Recently, as many as 135 lives were lost when an old suspension bridge in Morbi collapsed a few days after being renovated.
Gujarat Assembly Speaker Nimaben Acharya who was elected to the State Assembly from the Bhuj Assembly in Kutch twice in 2012 and 2017 has been denied a ticket by the BJP this time. Several Cabinet Ministers from the candidate list.
Also Read: BJP names 160 candidates for Gujarat Assembly polls in first list
State Parliamentary and Legislative Affairs Minister Rajendra Trivedi, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Pradip Parmar, MoS for Labour and Employment Brijesh Merja, MoS for Transport Arvind Raiyani, and MoS for Social Justice and Empowerment RC Makwana have not been considered by the BJP this time.
Former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and seven MLAs who were members of his cabinet in 2017 and 2021 have also been dropped by the BJP. Rupani along with all the other Ministers was replaced by the BJP in 2021 by outgoing Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and his Cabinet members.
Among those from the previous Cabinet who have been dropped this time are former deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and former ministers RC Faldu, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Saurabh Patel, Kaushik Patel, Vasan Ahir and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja.
Rupani and Patel announced on Wednesday announced that they will not contest in the Assembly elections. Two BJP legislators who were Ministers in Rupani's Cabinet have also announced that they will not contest the Assembly elections this time.
