Gujarat polls: Cricketer Ravindra Jadeja's wife, Rivaba gets BJP ticket from Jamnagar North

New Delhi, Nov 09: Cricketer Ravindra Jadeja's wife, Rivaba Jadeja has got a BJP ticket from Jamnagar North for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections. Rivaba had joined the BJP in 2019.

The Gujarat BJP on Thursday announced the first list of candidates, consisting of 100 names, for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls. Gujarat, a state where the BJP is seeking a sixth term, will go to polls in two phases on December 1 and 5. The results of the 182-member assembly will be announced on December 8.

Speaking to media, Rivaba Jadeja said,''The issue of progress & development is important. I will like to express my gratitude to PM Modi, Amit Shah & Gujarat CM that the party has shown faith in me.''

The central election committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), also comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda, finalised the candidates, according to PTI.

Rivaba after joining the BJP reportedly sought a ticket from Jamnagar (North). The seat is held by Dharmendrasinh Jadeja of the BJP. A PTI report said that the party is looking to inject fresh energy into the organisation and this could mean some senior leaders may be dropped.

In the fiercely fought Gujarat polls five years ago, the BJP had won 99 seats and its main rival Congress bagged 77 seats.

Currently, the BJP's strength in the 182-member Assembly is 111 after several MLAs from the Congress defected to it and it is unlikely that the saffron party will repeat all the incumbent MLAs.

The Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) entry into Gujarat this time has opened a new front in the otherwise bipolar election.

Who is Rivaba Jadeja?

Rivaba Jadeja, a graduate in engineering, is the wife of Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja. Her father is a big industrialist. He is involved in many social activities. She had joined the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Ravindra Jadeja's WIFE vs SISTER in Jamnagar North seat?

Now, that the BJP has released the first list and the name of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja's wife Rivaba Jadeja has been confirmed that she would be contesting from Jamnagar North seat of the Gujarat assembly, it would be now interesting to watch out for whether Congress may field Jadeja's sister Naina against her.

It was in 2019, Naina, who is is well known in Jamnagar, had joined the Congress party in presence of her father. She is the eldest among the two sisters of Jadeja. Naina, a former paramedic in the local GG hospital, is the District Women's Congress President and a very active leader. She also owns a hotel in the city.