Guj Polls: Haren Pandya's wife to contest on GPP ticket

Describes husband's killing as political murder, slams BJP

Jagruti Pandya, wife of slain BJP leader Haren Pandya, on Thursday filed her nomination for contesting assembly election from Ellisbridge seat in Ahmedabad. She will be representing the newly formed Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) headed by former Gujarat chief  minister Keshubhai Patel.

Jagruti will be contesting against BJP sitting MLA from the constituency Rakesh Shah. Congress is yet to announce its candidate from the seat.

Describing her husband's killing as a 'political murder', Jagruti vowed that she has decided to enter the political arena to complete the unfinished tasks which her husband had started.

It for the first time that Jagruti has described the killing of the senior BJP leader as political murder. Pandya, former Minister of State for Home, was shot dead on March 26, 2003, near Law Garden area of the city when he had gone for a morning walk.

"As you all know that Haren Pandya's killing was a political murder. My legal battle for justice has not been successful enough...but I will continue to fight for justice," said Jagruti during a press conference called to announce her decision to contest election on GPP ticket.

When asked to explain why she called her husband's killing as political murder, Jagruti said that she would, in time to come, give details of the conspiracy, how it was planned and who all were involved.

Jagruti said that though she had considered BJP to be her family, she did not receive any support from the party for her legal battle. "Haren had dedicated his life for the BJP, but not a single leader from the party has shown 'sadbhavna' with me and my family for the past ten years. I never thought they would stab me in the back," she said.

According to her Ellisbridge was home of Haren Pandya and people of the constituency still, after nearly a decade, love and respect him as he had represented them for three consecutive terms.

"I am shadow of my husband. Every vote to me would be a tribute to Haren Pandya," Jagruti said, adding that she would complete the task which her husband had started. She also said that her foray into politics was also for the reason that she wanted to take her fight for justice for Haren Pandya to the people as her legal battle had failed.

The Gujarat High Court had in August 2011, had dropped murder charges against all the 12 accused in the case, while upholding the charges of attempt to murder on them. It had also described CBI investigation in case as "washed up" and "blinkered".

Jagruti further slammed the BJP party for digressing from the ideology of founder leader Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. "The present BJP in Gujarat does not follow any ideology, it has now become a individualistic party," Jagruti claimed.

Ellisbridge constituency has total 223,354 voters including 112,707 male and 110,646 female. BJP had won Ellisbridge seat for the first time in 1993, when Haren Pandya fetched it for the party in a by-election. This was the first time that the BJP had won Ellisbridge. Since then, the seat has been one of the most loyal seats to the BJP. The party, despite low voting has won this seat by a big margin.