Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) founder Chhotu Vasava will not contest from his traditional assembly seat of Jhagadia in upcoming Gujarat's assembly elections.
In Vasava's place, his son Mahesh Vasava will contest from Jhagadia. Vasava has won seven times in a row from Jhagadia, which comes under Bharuch district.
Mahesh had won from Dediapada in Narmada district in the 2017 Assembly elections. Before that, he had emerged victorious from the same seat in 2002. The BTP was not formed in 2002. The senior Vasava was earlier with the Janata Dal (United).
The BTP has pockets of influence in adivasi-dominated areas of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Gujarat. It won two Assembly seats in 2017 when it fought elections in an alliance with the Congress. However, the BTP later severed ties with Congress.
Early this year, the BTP entered into a short-lived alliance with Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Party sources told PTI the senior Vasava, 75, is not likely to contest polls this time due to his poor health.
From Dediapada, the BTP has fielded BTP member Bahadursinh Vasava. The other candidates are Ravjibhai Pandor (Khedbrahma), Narendra Rathva (Pavijetpur), Nitin Vasava (Nakleshwar), and Subhash Vasava (Mangrol). Except for Ankleshwar, all the other five Assembly seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates.
The party had announced the first list of 12 candidates on Sunday, of which nine were fielded from ST-reserved seats.
Apart from Bhiloda, Jhalod, Dahod, Sankheda, Nandod, Vyara, Nizar, Dang and Dharampur, all reserved for tribal candidates, the party had announced candidates on non-reserved seats of Karjan, Jambusar and Olpad.
BTP president Mahesh Vasava said his party will field candidates on all the 27 Assembly seats reserved for ST candidates and also contest constituencies which have a sizeable tribal population.
Gujarat has a 182-member Assembly.
Voting in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 and counting of votes will take place on December 8.
(With PTI inputs)
