Morbi 'hero' Amrutiya, cricketer Jadeja's wife Rivaba among 10 key candidates in 1st phase of polls

Former Gujarat minister Parshottam Solanki seventime MLA Kunwarji Bavaliya Morbi hero Kantilal Amrutiya Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadejas wife Rivaba and Gujarat AAP president Gopal Italia are among the 10 prominent candidates who will be in the fray in the first phase of Assembly elections to be held on December1 In the first round 89 of the total 182 Assembly seats will go to polls and prominent political parties have declared their candidates for almost all these constituenciesFollowing are the names of the 10 prominent candidates across main parties the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party AAP and Assembly seats from where they will be contesting1 Kantilal Amrutiya BJP When a suspension bridge over a river in Morbi town collapsed two weeks back Amrutiya a fivetime former BJP MLA who was almost forgotten in political circles suddenly came into limelight as videos showing him jumping into the water to rescue the victims went viralAlong with his popularity among the masses it was this brave act which helped him get ticket for the Morbi Assembly seat from the BJPAmrutiya better known as Kanabhai had won from the Morbi seat in 1995 1998 2002 2007 and 2012 but lost in 2017Also read Body mass index screening of students finds more than half to be unhealthy in Mumbai ThaneIn 2017 he lost to Congress candidate Brijesh Merja who later joined the BJP and won byelection from Morbi to again enter the Assembly He is currently serving as a minister in the BJP government2 Kunwarji Bavaliya BJP A seventime MLA from Jasdan seat in Rajkot district Bavaliya was a senior Congress leader before he switched sides A prominent Koli community leader Bavaliya won six times from Jasdan on a Congress ticketHe was also elected to the Lok Sabha from Rajkot as a Congressman in 2009After winning in 2017 from Jasdan on a Congress ticket Bavaliya tendered his resignation in 2018 and later joined the BJP He was soon made a minister in thenVijay Rupani government He subsequently won the bypoll from the same seat on a BJP ticketThe Congress has fielded a Koli leader Bholabhai Gohel to take on Bavaliya Gohel had won this seat in 2012 on a Congress ticket After he was replaced by Babaliya in 2017 Gohel joined the BJP After Bavaliya jumped ship Gohel went back to the Congress in 20183 Babu Bokhiria BJP 69yearold Bokhiria who belongs to the Mer community has been renominated from the Porbandar seat by the BJP He won the seat in 1995 1998 2012 and 2017In 2002 and 2007 Bokhiria was defeated by his archrival and former Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhwadia Both are facetoface this time too4 Bhagwan Barad BJP A day after resigning as the Congress MLA from Talala Gir Somnath district and joining the BJP the 63yearold politician has been given a ticket by the saffron party from the same seatBhagwan Barad is an influential leader of the Ahir community He won from the Talala constituency in 2007 and also in 2017 His brother Jashubhai Barad represented the seat in 1998 and 2012Talala is one of the four Assembly segments in Gir Somnath district In the 2017 Assembly elections the BJP could not open its account in the district as the Congress bagged all the four seats5 Parshottam Solanki BJP Despite his deteriorating health the BJP has once again put its trust in Parshottam Solanki the sitting MLA from Bhavnagar Rural and a former minister A prominent Koli leader Solanki is considered a strongman in Gujarat6 Rivaba Jadeja BJP In a surprise move the BJP has fielded Indian cricketer and Jamnagar native Ravindra Jadejas wife Rivaba who does not have any prior experience of politics or contesting elections from Jamnagar North The ruling party has dropped sitting MLA from the seat Dharmendrasinh Jadeja7 Paresh Dhanani Congress Dhanani fielded from Amreli was crowned a giant killer after he defeated state BJP stalwart Parshottam Rupala at a young age in 2002Also readThough he lost in 2007 he once again captured the Patidardominated seat in 2012 and 2017 He has also served as the Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly8 Virji Thummar Congress He is the sitting MLA of Lathi Amreli district and one of the senior leaders and vocal voices of the opposition party He was also elected to the Lok Sabha from Amreli on a Congress ticket9 Gopal Italia AAP This young leader was recently made Gujarat AAP president and has been now fielded from the Patidardominated Katargam Assembly seat in Surat city currently held by the BJPDespite strong sentiment prevailing against the BJP in 2017 due to the Patidar quota agitation the Congress could not snatch this seat from the ruling party10 Alpesh Kathiriya AAP A former close aide of Hardik Patel Kathiriya has been given ticket from the Patidardominated Varachha Road seat in Surat city currently represented by exminister Kishor Kanani of the BJPKathiriya is facing sedition charges for allegedly inciting people during the Patidar agitation which was spearheaded by Hardik PatelThis story has been 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