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Gujarat Assembly Elections: Amit Shah Rules Out Triangular Contest; Says BJP Will Break Previous Records

Earlier senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also ruled out triangular contest saying that AAP is nowhere in the ground in Gujarat

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Amit Shah in Vadodara
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While there have been buzz in the air about the emergence of Aam Admi party (AAP) as the potential contender in the upcoming Gujarat assembly elections, union home minister Amit Shah said that the main battle will be fought between BJP and Congress.

Addressing at a programme in Aaj Tak, Shah said that only the final results will reveal whether it was a triangular contest.

“We haven't lost a single election in Gujarat since 1990, be it Vidhan Sabha or Lok Sabha. The people of Gujarat have always blessed us. It is only on the results day that we will know whether it was a triangular contest or not,” says the home minister.

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Interestingly, it has been a recent trend in both the BJP and Congress to rule out the presence of AAP as a contender. This method to invisibilise AAP could be found in Rahul Gandhi’s statement when he said that AAP is nowhere in the ground.

Subsequently, senior congress leader Jairam Ramesh also echoed the leader’s statement, saying the contest in Gujarat is between BJP and Congress.

By their continuous evocation of Hindutva credentials in times through the appeal for putting photos of Laxmi and Ganesh on the currency, AAP has reportedly tried to dent BJP’s Hindu vote base. Shah, however considers such calls as an effort to “derail” their “focus from the development agenda.”

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“Our democracy has become very mature and political leaders need to follow suit,” Shah added.

Dent in Gandhinagar BJP?

Earlier in the day the home minister accompanied Kanubhai Patel, the MLA candidate of BJP from Sananda during his nomination filing. Though it is being said that Shah was there with Patel as his assembly constituency Sananda comes within former’s Lok Sabha seat Gandhinagar, the internal conflict over the candidature of Sananda also may have prompted his presence.

While BJP wanted to play safe and renominated the Koli community leader Kanubhai Patel, the chairperson of Sananda Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) and BJP leader Khengar Patel got offended and decided to fight as an independent.

However with Shah’s presence, he got back to the fold and accompanied Kanubhai’s nomination as well.

‘Will break all the previous records’

The events of dissents notwithstanding, the union minister Amit Shah showed absolute optimism and said, “The Gujarat BJP will break all previous records in this Assembly election. We all are confident that the BJP will once again form the government here with a huge majority by winning the highest ever seats as well as getting the highest ever votes.”

He patted Bhupendra Patel for the developmental works and added, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat's Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has undertaken many developmental works in the state. Law and order has been strengthened and he (the CM) has also given pace to the economy and improved health, education and various other sectors.”

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A day earlier Shah clarified that Bhupendra Patel will be the CM if the party forms government again.

The former BJP president also said that they are ready with the programmes to be taken up in the next 10 years. Gujarat’s 182 assembly seats will go to polls in two phases on December 1 and 5.

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