Gujarat Elections 2022: Here Are The Key Candidates To Watch Out For In Phase 1

As the Gujarat elections 2022 begin on Thursday, here's a look at the key candidates.

Gujarat elections 2022: Take a look at the key candidates in phase 1

The high-voltage Gujarat elections are beginning on Thursday, with 788 candidates fighting over 89 assembly seats in the first phase. In the first phase, 2,39,76,670 voters will cast their ballots.

The run up to the elections has been highly charged with PM Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and Delhi CM and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal campaigning non-stop for their respective parties over the past week.

Among the key poll planks were free electricity, affordable healthcare, farm loan waivers, subsidy on milk, interest-free student loans, free education for girls, employment generation, and financial assistance to women. The parties also focused on tribal welfare in their poll rallies. In fact, PM Modi kicked off his campaign, seeking the “blessings of tribals”.

The Morbi bridge collapse, which killed 135 people, was also a key topic for the parties looking to form the next government in Gujarat.

The BJP has decided to go retain Bhupendra Patel as its chief ministerial candidate and the AAP has decided that Isudan Gadhvi would be the CM if the party won the polls. The Congress has decided not to name a CM face.

As the country waits with bated breath for the results of the polls in PM Narendra Modi’s home state, here’s a look at the key constituencies and candidates in the fray in the first phase of the Gujarat Elections elections 2022.

GOPAL ITALIA (AAP) – KATARGAM (SURAT)

Newly installed Gujarat AAP president Gopal Italia recently made headlines for a video in which he purportedly made derogatory remarks against PM Modi. He will go up against BJP’s Vinod Moradiya, who is Minister of State for Urban Development and Urban Housing, and the Congress’s Kalpesh Variya in the Patidar-dominated Katargam Constituency of Surat district.

KANTILAL AMRUTIYA (BJP) – MORBI (MORBI)

It seemed to be a tough call for the BJP to choose Kantilal Amrutiya over sitting MLA and Gujarat minister Brijesh Merja, a Congress turncoat. Amrutiya emerged a “hero” after the Morbi bridge tragedy when he jumped into the river to save people. Amrutiya will go up in Morbi city against Morbi district Congress president Jayanti Patel and Pankaj Ransariya of the AAP.

In 2017, Amrutiya lost to Merja by over 3,000 votes, thanks to a widespread Patidar-reservation agitation. Merja, however, ditched the Congress in 2020 and joined the BJP.

RIVABA JADEJA (BJP) –  JAMNAGAR NORTH (JAMNAGAR)

Rivaba Jadeja was BJP’s surprise pick for the Gujarat polls this year. A debutante, Rivaba was picked over veteran sitting MLA Dharmendrasinh Merubha Jadeja, who was denied a ticket this time. Dharmendrasinh won the Jamnagar North seat in 2012 when he was in the Congress. He later switched to the BJP and won the seat again in 2017.

Rivaba Jadeja will go up against Bipendrasinh Jadeja of the Congress and AAP’s Karsan Karmur.

PARESH DHANANI (CONGRESS) – AMRELI (AMRELI)

Paresh Dhanani came to the fore when he defeated BJP heavyweight Parshottam Rupala IN THE Patidar-dominated Amreli seat at the young age of 26. Now 46, Paresh ‘giant killer’ Dhanani will go up against BJP’s district unit chief Kaushik Vekariya and the AAP’s Ravi Dhanani in the 2022 Gujarat elections.

ALPESH KATHIRIYA (AAP) – VARACHHA ROAD (SURAT)

Alpesh Kathriya was a prominent face of the 2015 Patidar agitation. He is known to have been close to BJP leader Hardik Patel, who switched from the Congress earlier this year. He has got an AAP ticket to fight the polls from the Patidar-dominated Varachha Road seat in Surat against former state minister Kishor Kanani of the BJP and Prafulbahi Chhagan Togadiya from the Congress.