Guj: BJP faces Cong-AAP combine in LS elections

Ahmedabad: In Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state Gujarat, the BJP looks confident of retaining all 26 Lok Sabha seats, despite a combined opposition from Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, key constituents of the INDIA alliance.

Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on May 7. Counting of votes will be held on June 4.

The Congress and AAP fought the 2022 state Assembly polls separately, and the BJP got a record 156 of the 182 seats in the House. In the ensuing Lok Sabha poll, the Congress will contest 24 seats, while the AAP is fielding candidates from Bharuch and Bhavnagar.

The Congress would dearly hope for a repeat of the 2009 polls when it won 11 of the state’s 26 seats, while for the AAP, even a single win coming after its Assembly showing, will bolster its status as the opposition party to watch out for.

Gujarat is divided into four regions, namely Saurashtra and Kutch, north Gujarat, south Gujarat and central Gujarat.

Saurashtra and Kutch: All the eight Lok Sabha seats in the region are with the BJP since a long time. The focus this time will be on Porbandar, where Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya has been fielded, and Rajkot, where his cabinet colleague Parshottam Rupala will try his luck.