BJP releases first list for Gujarat elections: Here’s are the 70 candidates

The contest in Gujarat, Modi’s home state where the BJP has been in power for 22 years, will be keenly watched for signs of voter reaction to some of his radical economic policies that the opposition Congress party is trying to leverage to regain political ground.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday declared its first list of 70 candidates for the two-phase Gujarat assembly elections starting December 9.

Vijay Rupani casts his vote during presidential election in Gandhinagar on July 17, 2017. (Reuters File)

Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitinbhai Patel were among the list, as BJP fielded sitting MLA in most of the seats.

The list also included five Congress rebels, including Raghavji Patel , Dharmendra Jadeja, CK Raul, Ramsinh Parmar.

Here is the full list of candidates: