Ahmedabad: Gujarat Congress has decided to field new faces and play the sympathy card in the upcoming bye-elections for two Lok Sabha and four Assembly seats in the state. The Dispatch News Desk (DND) reported.
Krishna Gadhvi, who has been given ticket for Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat is the widow of Mukesh Gadhvi who died in March this year, while for Porbandar Lok Sabha seat the party has chosen former city Youth Congress President Vinu Amipura. Porbandar seat fell vacant due to resignation of sitting Congress MP Vitthal Radadia following his victory from Dhoraji assembly seat in December last year.
Radadia and his son Jayesh later resigned as Congress MLAs to join BJP. His son was MLA from Jetpur constituency in Rajkot district. On Dhoraji Assembly seat, Congress has fielded Raju Kotadia who is local party worker and had never contested any election earlier. Similarly, for Jetpur assembly seat, the party has decided to give ticket to Jagdish Pambhia who is known only for his dyeing business. For two other Assembly seats, Limbadi and Morva Hadaf, Congress has given tickets to the family members of the winning candidates.
Limbadi seat fell vacant as sitting MP of Surendranagar Soma Patel, after winning Limbadi assembly seat, tendered his resignation as an MLA. Congress has given ticket to Satish Patel, son of party MP from Surendranagar Soma Patel, for Limbadi seat and for Morva Hadaf (ST) seat it has chose Bhupendra Khant, son of Savita Khant who died on the day results were declared.
Both Satish Patel and Bhupendra Khant have never faced any election in the past. The elections would be a test for Congress which had held all the six seats. Polling would be held on June 2 and counting on June 5.