Congress Reveals List of Candidates for Gujarat Lok Sabha Elections

In a significant political development, the Congress party has unveiled its list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat. The announcement, made late Thursday night, includes three sitting Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), one former Member of Parliament (MP), and three former legislators. This move brings the total number of Congress candidates announced for Gujarat to 17, as the party aims to contest 24 out of the 26 constituencies in the state.

Among the notable nominations is Sonal Patel, an architect by profession and former president of the Gujarat Congress women's wing. She has been chosen to contest against Union Home Minister Amit Shah from the high-profile Gandhinagar constituency. Shah, who is seeking re-election, has been renominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Amit Chavda, an MLA from Anklav in Anand district and leader of the Congress Legislature Party, has been nominated for the Anand Lok Sabha seat. Meanwhile, Lunawada legislator Gulabsinh Chauhan will represent the party from Panchmahal. Tushar Chaudhary, a tribal leader and MLA representing the Khedbrahma ST seat in the assembly, will contest from Sabarkantha, an unreserved constituency.

The Congress has also nominated Sukhram Rathva, a former MLA and ex-Leader of Opposition in the assembly, for Chhota Udepur—a tribal reserved seat. Former MP Prabha Taviyad will contest from Dahod ST seat. Other candidates include Kalusinh Dabhi from Kheda and Chandanji Thakor from Patan Lok Sabha seat. Jenny Thummar, daughter of former MP Virji Thummar and current president of the Gujarat Congress women's wing, has been selected for Amreli. For Surat, former corporator Nilesh Kumbhai has been nominated.

JP Marvia, a young Patidar face and elected member of Jamnagar district panchayat, will contest from Jamnagar. The Congress has strategically allocated Bhavnagar and Bharuch seats to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), its ally in the INDIA bloc.

The party had previously nominated its national spokesperson Rohan Gupta for Ahmedabad East; however, he later withdrew from the race. It's noteworthy that the Congress did not secure any seats in Gujarat during the 2019 polls. On the other hand, the ruling BJP has announced 22 candidates for Gujarat, which is scheduled to vote in a single phase on May 7.

This election cycle presents a crucial test for both major parties as they vie for dominance in Gujarat's political landscape. With these nominations, the Congress aims to make significant inroads into a state that has been a stronghold for the BJP.