Keshubhai's GPP releases first list of candidates

Former chief minister Keshubhai Patel, who had left BJP to form his own political outfit Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP), on Friday announced the first list of 63 candidates for the first phase of Assembly elections.

Former chief minister Keshubhai Patel, who had left BJP to form his own political outfit Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP), on Friday announced the first list of 63 candidates for the first phase of Assembly elections.

Keshubhai himself on Friday filed his nomination papers from Visavadar constituency in Rajkot district.

Another BJP rebel and former minister of state for home Gordhan Zadafia also filed his nomination papers from Gondal in Rajkot district.

Zadafia, who had parted ways with BJP in 2007 and formed his own political party Mahagujarat Janata Party, had recently merged his party with Keshubhai's GPP. GPP has also given a ticket to Dipak Rana, son of former union minister late Kashiram Rana, who had also left BJP and supported Keshubhai.

Interestingly, the name of another former BJP leader and ex-chief minister Suresh Mehta was missing from the first list of GPP candidates.

Mehta was with Patel and Zadafia right from the beginning and also addressed party's rallies.

Saturday is the last date to file nominations for 87 constituencies in the phase I of the elections, and GPP will finalise the names of the remaining candidates by Saturday morning, party sources said.