Gandhinagar: BJP veteran LK Advani on Saturday filed his nomination papers from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat for upcoming elections in presence of Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Mr Advani, accompanied by Mr Modi, BJP Gujarat in-charge Om Mathur, party state unit president RC Faldu and other senior leaders, filed his nomination papers before the returning officer P Swaroop at around 1300 hours.
State Revenue Minister Anandiben Patel filed the nomination papers as a dummy candidate for the same seat.
Earlier, Advani and Modi addressed a ‘Vijay Vishwas rally’ near here where they exhorted the party workers to ensure a landslide victory of the party on all the 26 Lok Sabha seats of Gujarat.
Meanwhile, Mr Modi’s presence with Advani during filing of the latter’s nomination assumed significance as reports of rift between the two leaders have come a number of times starting from elevation of the Gujarat Chief Minister at the national level.
Both the leaders showered praises on each other during their speeches at the rally.
According to the BJP sources, Mr Advani was earlier reluctant to contest from Gandhinagar, from where he was elected to the Lok Sabha for five times, fearing a possible ‘sabotage’ by ‘team Modi’ at the seat.
Mr Advani, who earlier had himself expressed his wish to contest from Gandhinagar, later demanded the party to field him for a safe Bhopal seat.
The former Deputy Prime Minister accepted the party’s decision of fielding him from Gandhinagar after Modi and almost all the top BJP leaders and even the RSS persuaded him to contest from the seat.
The BJP leadership had maintained that if Advani insists to contest from Bhopal, it will give an impression of rift within the party ahead of the general elections.
Mr Advani was first elected to the 9th Lok Sabha in 1989.
In 1991, he was re-elected to 10th Lok Sabha, in 1998 12th Lok Sabha, 1999 13th Lok Sabha, in 2004 14th Lok Sabha and in 2009, 15th Lok Sabha.
The state will go to a single phase polling on April 30, for 26 Lok Sabha seats.
Last date for filing of nomination is April 9.
Scrutiny of nominations will be done on April 10.
Last date for withdrawal of candidature is April 12.
Counting of votes will be held on May 16. (UNI)
