Former Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel opts out of Lok Sabha race

Former Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel today withdrew from the race for the Mehsana Lok Sabha constituency. Noteworthy is that this was not one of the 15 seats for which the BJP announced its candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in its first list.

In a letter posted on social media, Patel, who served as the Deputy Chief Minister from August 2016 to September 2021, said, "Candidates for 15 Lok Sabha seats of the state were declared yesterday (Saturday) and the process of selection of a Mehsana Lok Sabha candidate is still going on."

"Before this, I withdrew my candidature as BJP candidate."

In his letter, he also expressed hope for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure a third term.

Patel's announcement came a day after the BJP released its first list of upcoming Lok Sabha election candidates, with notable changes, including the replacement of 33 sitting MPs with new faces.

The list has a total of 95 names, including 34 central ministers and two former Chief Ministers in Assam, Chattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tripura, and West Bengal.

In Gujarat, five sitting MPs were dropped for the Lok Sabha polls race this time.