Five months ahead of Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Tuesday announced its first list of candidates for 10 constituencies out of the total of 182.
With this move, AAP has become the first political party in Gujarat to announce its candidates’ list ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled in December, as the newcomers are trying to form a third base in a state that has historically seen a two-party contest.
The move comes a day after AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a rally in Veraval, Gir Somnath, where he promised “job guarantee” for all unemployed youths in Gujarat and a monthly unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000, if chosen to power.
The names figured in the first list of AAP’s candidates are Bhemabhai Chaudhary for Deodar constituency in Banaskantha, Jagmal Vala for Somnath seat in Gir Somnath, Arjun Rathva for Chhota Udepur constituency, Sagar Rabari for Bechraji in Mehsana, Vashram Sagathiya for Rajkot Rural seat, Ram Dhaduk for Kamrej seat in Surat, Shivlal Barasia for Rajkot South, Sudhir Vaghani for Gariyadhar in Bhavnagar, Rajendra Solanki for Bardoli seat in Surat and Omprakash Tiwari for Naroda seat in Ahmedabad.
During a press conference in Ahmedabad Tuesday Gopal Italia, AAP Gujarat president, told reporters, “For the first time in the history of Gujarat, a party is announcing its candidates 4-5 months ahead of the elections. AAP is the honest alternative which the people of Gujarat were looking for all these years. The AAP has arrived to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress that have been ruling Gujarat for the past several decades. Recently, we expanded our party in three stages in order to ensure that we reach every household in Gujarat. In the first list, we have fielded leaders from both urban and rural areas, and those belonging to Other Backward Caste (OBC), Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities. AAP is a party that is a trendsetter due to its unique style of politics. We have announced the list in advance so that the candidates can reach out to people in their constituencies and tell them about our vision.”
Italia congratulated the candidates whose names figured in the first list. “It includes veteran leader and vice-president Bhemabhai Chaudhary who has been with the party since its inception in Gujarat and has been striving hard all these years. Similarly, another vice-president Jagmal Vala has been selected to contest from Somnath as he has been working towards the healthcare of the poor through his medical centre and schools. Our tribal community leader Arjun Rathva, a former college professor who has been fighting for the rights of the tribal community, has also been given an opportunity from Chhota Udepur. Farmers’ leader Sagar Rabari has been chosen for the Bechraji seat as he has been fighting for the rights of farmers to save their lands from government projects. We have also given an opportunity to our youth leader Ram Dhaduk from Surat,” he said.