More than 100 sitting BJP councillors shown the door

Ahmedabad: For the first time in the city BJP’s history, more than 100 sitting BJP councillors were denied tickets for the coming Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) polls. The denial caused an upheaval with only 36 of 142 sitting councillors being repeated in their respective wards. One candidate who had won from Sarkhej ward was fielded from Jodhpur ward. Only 26% of sitting corporators were retained. Interestingly, 62 candidates were denied tickets because of ward delimitation or because some seats became reserved.

BJP sources said Bopal-Ghuma was the biggest area to be merged with the AMC last year. Two sitting women corporators — one from Thaltej ward and another from Jodhpur — were assigned this ward. Sources said that barring Bodakdev ward, there is not a single ward where BJP has repeated all four corporators. In five wards — Chandlodia, Ranip, Ghatlodia, Naranpura, Sardar Patel Stadium — the BJP retained two sitting corporators each. In Vastral, three sitting corporators have been repeated.

Interestingly, eight of the 36 candidates who were repeated had served two terms. Party officials claimed that so far the party was retaining about 60% of corporators while 40% have been replaced by new faces. Prominent among corporators who were denied tickets are former mayor Bijal Patel. The leader of the BJP in the AMC Amit Shah, AMC standing committee chairman Amul Bhatt, deputy mayor Dinesh Makwana and former mayor Gautam Shah were all asked to take a break.

BJP city president and Nikol MLA Jagdish Panchal said, “36 candidates did not qualify because they had either completed three terms or were above 60 years of age.”

BJP sources claim that in the eastern parts of the city —- Nikol, Vatva and others—the BJP rewarded a few Patel candidates who stood with them during the 2015 Patidar agitation and gave them tickets.

The BJP in 2020 has 47 candidates who are Patidars. In 2015, 46 Patel candidates either from BJP or Congress won the elections. Of the four candidates fielded in Bodakdev, Ghatlodia and Bhaipura-Hatkeshwar ward, the BJP has fielded three Patidar candidates.

There were at least nine wards where the party fielded two Patidar candidates.