Amit Shah makes Lok Sabha elections debut from Gandhinagar

Amit Shah has replaced former deputy prime minister, L K Advani, 91, as the party’s candidate. Advani represented Gandhinagar in the Lok Sabha six times.

Gandhinagar recorded a 64.95% turnout as it went to the polls along with 25 other seats in the state in the third phase of the national elections on Tuesday.

The BJP’s Gujarat unit, which is hoping to retain all 26 seats in the state, had sought Shah’s candidature from Gandhinagar to enthuse it cadre. (HT Photo)

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah, 54, is contesting his first Lok Sabha election from Gandhinagar.

He has replaced former deputy prime minister, L K Advani, 91, as the party’s candidate. Advani represented Gandhinagar in the Lok Sabha six times. Late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was elected to Parliament from Gandhinagar in 1996.

Shah is up against the Congress’s state lawmaker, C J Chavda. His former assembly constituency, Naranpura, is a part of Gandhinagar, which the BJP has held since 1989.

The BJP’s Gujarat unit, which is hoping to retain all 26 seats in the state, had sought Shah’s candidature from Gandhinagar to enthuse it cadre.

Shah arrived at a polling booth within half an hour of the beginning of the voting.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived a little later to vote. Union minister Arun Jaitley, former Gujarat chief minister and Madhya Pradesh governor, Anandiben Patel, too, voted in Gandhinagar.

G I Patel was the last Congress MP from Gandhinagar in the 8th Lok Sabha between 1984 and 1989. Since then BJP candidates such as Shankersinh Vaghela, Vajpayee and Advani have won the seat.