Shah files papers from Advani's 30-year bastion

Ahmedabad: Displaying a 'show of strength' in a roadshow in Ahmedabad on Saturday, which congregated prominent faces of the NDA, BJP chief Amit Shah filed his nomination from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat on Saturday. From two former party presidents and Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Rajnath Singh to the major party chiefs, Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena, SAD's Parkash Singh Badal, LJP supremo Ram Vilas Paswan and other senior party leaders from both the state and national, were present.

Shah expressed his gratitude to BJP for making him the party's national president from a booth president of the same Sardar Patel Statue, where he addressed the rally. The Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency will go to polls in Phase III of the general elections. The current six-time MP from Gandhinagar is BJP patriarch Lal Krishna Advani.

However, he has not been given a ticket this coming general elections. But Shah claimed that, "I will make every effort to take Advaniji's legacy (at Gandhinagar) forward." Shah also said that he feels proud to be contesting from Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency that has chosen stalwarts like Lal Krishna Advani in the past.

Experts feel that amid the scorching heat, the huge participation of people and political galaxy in Shah's roadshow for 10 km and nomination filing event reminds the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nomination in 2014. SAD's chief Parkash Singh Badal mentioned that the party chief of world's largest party is an institution. Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray said, "past issues between the BJP and his paty had been resolved".