Troubles For BJP Candidates In Gujarat: Ranjanben Bhatt And Bhikhaji Thakor To Bow Out Of Lok Sabha Polls After Internal Protests

After facing protests from local party members, two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in Gujarat, Ranjanben Bhatt, the incumbent MP from Vadodara, and Bhikhaji Thakor, the party's nominee for Sabarkantha, have declared their unwillingness to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in their respective constituencies.

Both candidates were named in the BJP's initial list, as per a report by The Hindu.

Bhatt was chosen by the party for the third consecutive time, while Thakor was selected as a new candidate to replace the sitting MP from Sabarkantha in North Gujarat.

According to the same report there were objections from local party workers regarding their candidacies.

Bhatt took to social media to announce her decision not to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls due to "personal reasons," following protests from a section of party members and the appearance of posters against her candidacy in Vadadara.

Recently, Ketan Inamdar, the party's MLA from Savali in Vadodara district, reportedly "resigned" due to the party's decision to nominate Bhatt for the third time.

However, he withdrew his resignation following a meeting with state party chief C R Paatil. Inamdar was also discontented with Bhatt's nomination as she had performed poorly as a two-time parliamentarian from Vadodara.

A party leader remarked that she had become disconnected from local workers and had exhibited inappropriate behaviour towards BJP functionaries and legislators.

In the case of Sabarkantha, Thakor's selection did not sit well with local party members in this OBC-dominated constituency. Some local leaders even raised questions about his caste credentials, asserting that he was originally a tribal who changed his caste to Thakor to contest the elections in this Thakor-dominated area.

As of now, there has been no statement or response from the state BJP regarding the announcements made by the two candidates on their personal social media accounts.