Vaghela fields 74 candidates in 1st phase of Gujarat polls

Jan Vikalp, the third front in the Gujarat elections led by former Gujarat chief minister and Congress deserter Shankarsinh Vaghela, has fielded 69 candidates in the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections and  will support five other independent candidates.

"They will all contest on the symbol of 'tractor', the symbol allocated to the All India HindustanCongress Party. There are five other candidates who will contest as independents but will be backed by our party. So,  in the 89 constituencies going to polls in the first phase on December 9, we are fielding 74 candidates," Shankarsinh Vaghela told mediapersons.

He, however, said that they have not fielded any candidate against Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, BJP state president Jitu Vaghani, Amreli Congress legislator Paresh Dhanani and senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil.

"I am experimenting right now and I don't know whether it will succeed. Our party's candidates won't be getting any  funds to contest, and if they want to spend the money themselves, they can. It should be a people's party without any money coming into it," Vaghela said.

Talking on the issue of a special quota  for Patels, Vaghela said those talking of giving reservations over the prescribed 49% were fooling people. "The reservation can only be brought in through legislation and change in the Constitution. We will do so if we form the government" he said.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party too has fielded 29 candidates in the first phase.

The Nationalist Congress Party, that was in talks with the Congress till late Tuesday night for a truck in the elections, has fielded 47 candidates in the first phase.

Gujarat has witnessed a straight fight between the BJP and the Congress in  the elections that have taken place in the past two-and-a-half decades.

A total of 1,592 candidates filed their nominations for the first phase of Gujarat Assembly polls.

Of these, 116 nominations were filed on behalf of BJP (including dummy candidates), 151 nominations from Congress and 547 independent candidates.

While the BJP is contesting in all 89 seats in the first phase, Congress is fighting on 86 seats, with the three remaining seats allocated to the Bharatiya Tribal Party in South Gujarat.