New Delhi, Nov 29: Former Gujarat Minister of State for Home Amit Shah, facing charges in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, has been fielded by BJP from the Naranpura Assembly seat in the forthcoming elections for which the party today announced its third list of 89 candidates.
BJP's Central Election Committee declared the list of candidates, comprising of 89 names, for the two-phase Gujarat Assembly elections to be held on December 13 and 17.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi presented the list of prospective candidates in the CEC meeting and got the central leadership's assent.
Shah, who is facing allegations of his involvement in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case and was externed from Gujarat earlier, will contest from Naranpura.
A close confidant of Modi, Shah was reportedly in touch with the police officials who allegedly carried out Sohrabuddin's encounter.
Other prominent candidates announced today include Anandiben Patel, a close Modi associate, who will contest from Ghatlodiya. It is widely rumoured that she may take over the mantle in Gujarat if Modi moves to national politics after the polls.
Bharatbhai Barot, another leader from Modi's coterie, will be in the fray from Dariapur.
Unconfirmed reports said 27 of 122 BJP MLAs have been denied a ticket in these polls. BJP has declared 177 candidates for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly.
There are 19 women, seven Scheduled Caste and 11 Scheduled Caste in today's list of candidates.
Modi had launched `sadbhavna' mission to reach out to Muslims last year. But no member of the community has been given a ticket by the party.
There was speculation that Modi might give tickets to some candidates from the minority community, especially in the areas with a sizable Muslim population.
Modi's another aide, Saurabh Patel, has got nomination from one of the 'safe' BJP seats - Akota in Vadodara district -though he belongs to Bhavnagar district in Saurashtra and had last time won from Botad.
Congress has fielded sitting MP Kuverji Bavaliya from Botad.
Anandiben Patel had won from Patan with a wafer-thin margin in 2007 and she has been shifted to a 'safe' seat of Ghatlodiya.
BJP has given tickets to 43 sitting MLAs, 10 former MLAs and dropped 11 sitting MLAs.
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