Adding fire to the fray, AAP has placed its bets on Gopal Italia, a fiery Leuva Patidar youth icon. Italia, who once gained notoriety for hurling a sandal at the then Home Minister, bring in aggressive activism and a controversial past.Though defeated in the 2022 Katargam battle by a margin of over 64,000 votes, AAP sees him as a disruptor in Visavadar, a Patidar-stronghold constituency historically dominated by Leuva Patidar candidates.In Kadi, BJP has fielded 66-year-old Rajendra Kumar Chavda, a veteran with decades of Sangh roots, a BA in Economics, and a long track record in local politics including jail term during the 1980s’ anti-inflation protests.Congress has responded with Rameshbhai Maganbhai Chavda, a seasoned former MLA with a legal background and a strong local base in Rohitwas.Meanwhile, AAP’s Jagdish Chavda, a Dalit leader from Khaval and state SC president, enters the fray riding on grassroots activism and social justice narratives.With nomination filings concluding today, all three parties have now turned their focus toward full-scale campaigning in what promises to be a volatile, caste-sensitive by-election season in Gujarat.
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