Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Former Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel opts out of race for Mehsana seat

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJP leader and former deputy chief minister of Gujarat Nitin Patel (March 3) has opted out of the race for the Mehsana Lok Sabha seat, the candidate of which is yet to be declared by the party. Here's what he said.

Former Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Sunday withdrew from the race for the Mehsana constituency. The Mehsana seat was not one of the 15 seats for which the BJP had released its initial list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.

Patel, who held the position of Deputy Chief Minister from August 2016 to September 2021, stated in a letter shared on social media that "candidates for 15 Lok Sabha seats of the state were declared yesterday (Saturday) and the process of selection of a Mehsana Lok Sabha candidate is still going on."

In his letter, he also expressed hope for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure a third term. The BJP had issued its initial list of candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha election the day before Patel's announcement.

Notable changes included the replacing of 33 current MPs with new faces. There are 95 names on the list, including two former chief ministers of Assam, Chattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tripura, and West Bengal in addition to 34 central ministers.

He had earlier expressed his desire to contest from the seat to the party high command, however, he withdrew his name after the announcement of names of candidates in the 15 seats for the general elections on Saturday.

Earlier today, Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh announced the withdrawal of his candidature from Asansol. The BJP fielded him from the seat in its first list. The famous Bhojpuri actor Pawan Singh has also said that he will not run for office in Asansol. He wrote: “I express my heartfelt gratitude to the top leadership of Bharatiya Janata Party. The party trusted me and declared me as the candidate from Asansol, but due to some reason, I will not be able to contest the elections from Asansol.”