Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022: Prominent faces of Bhartiya Janata Party in Gujrat will not contest the upcoming assembly polls, scheduled to be held in two phases in December. According to PTI report, the national political party is supposed to release a list of 182 candidates for Gujarat polls this evening.

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Key political figures such as former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, former deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and former education minister Bhupendra Singh Chudasama on Wednesday night announced they will not fight the next month's Assembly elections.

These three renowned politicians were the important portfolio holder in the Gujarat government. One more senior BJP leader, Pradeepsinh Jadeja -- who was a minister in the Rupani cabinet -- also announced he will not seek tickets for the polls.

The Gujarat assembly elections polling will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5, 2022. The first phase will be held on December 1, 2022. Whereas the second phase will be held on December 5, 2022.

Also Read: LIVE: BJP Candidates List Gujarat Election 2022 - 182 Names To Be Finalised Today By PM Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda

Their statements come at a time when the central Parliament Board of BJP has convened the meeting to finalise the names of candidates in Delhi under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"These four senior leaders of our party have written separate letters to state unit party president C R Paatil, saying they do not want to fight the upcoming elections," Gujarat BJP spokesperson Yamal Vyas said.

"I have decided not to fight elections this time. The BJP gave me chance to be the chief minister of Gujarat for five years. Now they have made me in-charge of Punjab and as a senior leader, I have declared earlier that I will not fight this election. I have not even demanded ticket," Rupani told reporters.

Rupani (66), a sitting MLA from Rajkot West, was the chief minister from August 2016 to September 2021. He and his entire Council of Ministers were replaced by the BJP in September 2021.

Patel, in a hand written letter to Paatil, has said he should not be considered for ticket to contest the Mehsana Assembly seat, currently represented by him, as he has decided not to fight the upcoming elections.

"I have decided not to fight elections. I have been elected as an MLA for six times from Kadi and Mehsana seats," the former deputy CM told reporters later.

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Chudasama, the MLA from Dholka, said the party has given tickets to him nine times. "Out of the nine times I won five times and was made a cabinet minister. Now enough is enough, I had earlier told the party that I will not fight the next elections," he said.

Jadeja, in a letter to Paatil, said he, too, in not interested in contesting Assembly polls.

"I will do whatever work the party assigns to me," he said.

The MLA from Vatva in Ahmedabad was home minister in the BJP government led by Rupani.

(With PTI Inputs)