PM Modi, Rajnath, Rupani among BJP's list of 40 star campaigners for Gujarat election

Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and his then deputy Nitin Patel – both of whom were ‘declined’ to contest the polls this time – have also joined the star campaigners list despite being sidelined.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president JP Nadda, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari are among the bigwigs named in the party's list of campaigners for next month's crucial Gujarat assembly election on Friday.

Bharatiya Janata Party's election campaign ahead of Gujarat elections (ANI Photo)

The BJP's list of 40 star campaigners was released in Delhi. The list also includes Union minister Smriti Irani, Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupendra Yadav and Mansukh Mandaviya, along with Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and BJP state chief CR Patil.

Meanwhile, former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and his then deputy Nitin Patel – both of whom were ‘declined’ to contest the polls this time – have also joined the campaigners list despite being sidelined. Rupani and Patel, who have been active in Gujarat politics for more than three decades, were effectively denied tickets as the BJP wanted more fresh faces to nullify the anti-incumbency factor, a PTI report said.

Among other prominent faces on the list are Bhojpuri singer and party MP Manoj Tiwari, Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’, actor-politician Ravi Kishan, as well as yesteryear actor-turned-politician Hema Malini.

The BJP – which has been in power for nearly three decades in Gujarat – continues to hold a strong ground even as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has made a dent in their voter base this time, pre-poll surveys suggested. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party has been carrying out massive campaigns in the western state as it tries to make inroads.