Guj polls: Rupani calls on Keshubhai before filing nomination

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today called on former chief minister Keshubhai Patel to seek his blessings a day before filing his nomination papers for the upcoming Assembly elections.
Rupani drove to Patel's residence and met him before leaving for Rajkot. The chief minister will file his nomination papers tomorrow from the Rajkot (West) Assembly seat.
"Respected Keshubhai is the eldest member of our party so I had come to seek his blessings. He has spent his entire life dedicated to the party.
"I am leaving for Rajkot to file my nomination form after seeking his blessings. I feel blessed," Rupani told reporters outside Patel's residence after meeting him.

The former chief minister was replaced by Narendra Modi in 2001. He had later floated the Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) which unsuccessfully contested against the BJP in the 2012 Assembly elections.
The party was later dissolved and Patel re-joined the BJP.

The BJP's central election committee announced Rupani's name for the Rajkot (West) seat, from where he had won the 2014 bypoll after being appointed chief minister.
Modi had also contested from the same seat after being appointed as chief minister for the first time in 2001.
In September, during his visit to the state, Prime Minister Modi had met Patel to condole his son's death before attending the ground breaking ceremony of the bullet train project.

Keshubhai Patel's 60-year-old son Pravin Patel, who lived in the USA, had died of cardiac arrest on September 9.