LS polls: BSP declares names of 17 Guj candidates

The state unit of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) today declared names of 17 candidates, who will contest from various seats in Gujarat during the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

BSP, headed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, has decided to contest all the 26 seats in the state, without forming alliance with any of the national parties, a party statement said.

The party has been fighting elections in Gujarat since 1999 but has failed to win a single seat since then.

In 1999, it contested from Rajkot, Sabarkantha, Vadodara and Surat constituencies, while in 2004 it contested 20 seats.

In the forthcoming elections, BSP will field Pravin Solanki from the Ahmedabad-west (SC) constituency, while Mohan Namori will contest from Kutch which is also reserved for the Scheduled Caste.

The four candidates for the reserved Scheduled Tribe seat include Ramsingh Kalara from Dahod, Prakash Bhil from Chotta Udaipur, Ranjanaben Gamit from Bardoli and Chagan Patel from Valsad.

BSP leader Mayawati is likely to visit Ahmedabad on March 31 to launch her party's election campaign in the state. She is also expected to address a rally in Maninagar area of the city.