Gujarat Election 2022: AAP state unit chief Gopal Italia to contest from Katargam in Surat district

Aam Aadmi Party's Gujarat unit president Gopal Italia will contest the upcoming state Assembly election from Katargam in Surat district, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday while stressing on the participation of youth in politics.

AAP's Gujarat general secretary Manoj Sorathiya will contest from Karanj Assembly seat in Surat, Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal said in a tweet.

आम घरों के बेटे बदलेंगे गुजरात।

जुझारू युवा नेता @Gopal_Italia जी और @manoj_sorathiya जी को इस अवसर के लिए शुभकामनाएँ  pic.twitter.com/RzP0rgJ7Im

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) November 9, 2022

The AAP has so far announced the names of its 158 candidates for elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly which will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5.

Italia and Sorathiya are also among the 20 'star campaigners' whose names were announced by the AAP on Tuesday for the Gujarat Assembly polls.

The AAP's star campaigners include Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, other leaders like Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha, Harbhajan Singh and Isudan Gadhvi.

"The participation of youth in politics is essential. In Gujarat, our state president and popular youth Gopal Italia will contest from Surat's Katargam Assembly seat and state general secretary Manoj Sorathiya will contest elections from Karanj Assembly seat. I wish all the best to both the youth," Kejriwal tweeted.

Earlier, Italia and Sorathiya were in the race for the AAP's chief ministerial face in Gujarat, but the party last week announced that former TV anchor and journalist Isudan Gadhvi would be its CM candidate for the next month's Assembly polls.

Italia, a leader from the influential Patidar community, played a key role in the quota agitation in 2015.

He previously worked as a clerk in a government office and was removed from the job after he hurled a shoe at a Gujarat minister in 2017. Before that, he also worked as a police constable.

Italia was recently in news after some of his old videos surfaced in which he purportedly mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and made comments about religious leaders.

He was summoned by the National Commission for Women over his comments in the videos.

In August, Sorathiya was attacked by a group of people during his door-to-door campaign in Surat and the AAP had blamed the ruling BJP for the incident.