A section of BJP workers and leaders are unhappy with the leadership’s selection of candidates for the two-phase elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly polls with some of them announcing to contest as independents.

While the party has declared 160 candidates, it needs to finalise 22 more.

Raising a banner of revolt, sitting MLA of Vadodara’s Waghodia Assembly seat Madhu Srivastav, who has been dropped despite serving six terms, has decided to contest as an independent. The party has nominated Ashwin Patel for the seat.

Srivastav told the media that he had filed nomination only after getting approval from the party leadership. Suddenly, the party has changed its decision. “My workers are angry with the party’s decision and so have decided to contest as an independent candidate.”

BJP has not announced its candidates for Radhanpur and Gandhinagar south constituencies, because, if it renominates OBC leader Alpesh Thakor from Radhanpur, local leaders and former MLAs will oppose it. If Thakor is nominated from Gandhinagar south, then also there is strong opposition to his nomination.

On being denied a ticket, his close confidant and right hand Dhavalsinh Zala will meet his supporters and workers and decide his future course of action. He will take a decision on whether to contest on Bayad constituency as independent or not against the BJP candidate.

The party leadership’s decision of fielding Mukesh Dwarkadas Patel in the Mehsana constituency, too has not gone down well with many. Party’s former district president Jasubhai Patel has started consulting supporters and is mulling contesting as an independent candidate.

With Mahuva’s (Bhavnagar district) sitting MLA R.C. Makwana being denied a ticket, hundreds of workers have resigned from the party. Even hundreds of leaders are opposing the party’s decision to nominate Ghanshyam Virani from the Botad constituency. Ganpat Kasjariya and hundreds of supporters have reached Gandhinagar, party state unit office and pressuring party to renominate Saurabh Patel.

BJP has already formed a damage control committee and members of the committee to do fire fighting work.

In Bhavnagar, Gohil Rajputs are angry with BJP, as since last many terms BJP is not nominating Rajput candidates from Bhavnagar district, Vasudevsinh Gohil has appealed Rajput to work against the ruling party. Even Prajapati community leader Dinesh Prajapati has appealed to community members to vote against the ruling party.