NRI youths seek BJP ticket for LS polls

Even as the state BJP parliamentary board is busy analysing the proposals it has received from aspiring candidates for Lok Sabha polls, Gujarat BJP chief Purshottam Rupala has revealed that three NRI youths from America and England have expressed willingness to contest the coming LS polls on BJP ticket from their native places in Gujarat.

While insisting that the party was facing problem of plenty when it came to selecting candidates for the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies, Rupala on Friday said he had received e-mails from three NRIs —Chilesh Patel from London and Kirit and Gauran Patel from New York and Chicago respectively - with the senders pleading to be considered for as party nominees for the LS polls.

Rupala said this after introducing two young politicians — Devang Nanavati, son of a well-known lawyer Sudhir Nanavati who incidentally is associated with the Congress party, and Amit Mehta, grandson of former chief minister late Chhabildas Mehta - to mediapersons at BJP headquarters.

While talking to DNA, Rupala said the party had also received recommendations from several NRIs who are relatives and friends of the people seeking party candidature from various constituencies.

In another development, several NRI and NRG associations in America have made a strong representation to the state BJP leadership seeking the party ticket for C K Patel, a prominent Gujarat businessman settled in US who recently joined BJP.  They have pleaded that C K should be fielded from Sabarkantha constituency. Patel had unsuccessfully contested the assembly election from Himmatnagar in Sabarkantha district and this time he wants to try his luck for the Lok Sabha on a BJP ticket.

Rupala said the NRIs had shown tremendous response during Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit and extended their full support to chief minister Narendra Modi in his efforts to put Gujarat on the international map. “The state has become a model of development not only for rest of the India but also for several developing countries,” Rupala said.

Meanwhile, ‘Friends of BJP’, an association of Gujaratis in America, has decided to send to Gujarat a group of businessmen and professional to campaign for the saffron party the coming Lok Sabha polls.  The association functionaries have conveyed this to the state BJP leaders. “We will be glad to receive them and they will be entrusted important responsibilities,” Rupala said.