Actor and Ahmedabad East MP Paresh Rawal announced Saturday that he would not be contesting in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
"I request media and friends not to speculate about my nomination. I had informed the party months in advance of my decision not to contest Lok Sabha elections," Rawal wrote on Twitter while maintaining that he remained a loyal member of BJP and a staunch supporter of Narendra Modi.
There have been intense speculations on Rawal getting a BJP ticket for the polls, mainly because he was hardly spent any time in Ahmedabad. Many in the BJP feel that Rawal has been an absentee MP, and has done nothing in the last five years to be fielded again. The party's state leadership is believed to have told the high command that it would be better to give a chance to a dedicated worker.
The award-winning actor also clarified further on Twitter that he would not be fighting even if he got the ticket.
"I have steadfastly maintained in all my statements and interviews etc. that I am not interested in a political career," he wrote.
Rawal was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2014 by defeating Congress candidate Himmatsinh Patel with a margin of 3.26 lakh votes. The constituency comprises five assembly seats of Ahmedabad city and two of Gandhinagar, and is seen as a safe seat for the BJP.
Following Rawal's refusal to contest the polls, Patidar leader CK Patel has emerged as the frontrunner for the BJP ticket for Ahmedabad East seat. Patel, the convenor of Vishw Umiya Foundation, is perceived to be close to prime minister Narendra Modi. He was among the early Patels who set up successful hotel businesses in the US. However, he has settled in India for many years now.
Former Union Minister Harin Pathak, who represented Ahmedabad seven times in the Lok Sabha, and former mayor Asit Vora are also seen as the contenders. Vora too is seen as close to the PM, and used to handle Modi's campaign for Maninagar assembly seat in the past. "Vora is a dark horse," said a senior BJP leader.
