With over 1,700 candidates filing nominations for the first phase of the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha elections (December 9) to 89 Assembly constituencies of Kutch-Saurashtra and the South Gujarat regions, the saffron state is bracing for a high-octane campaign by leaders of various political parties in the coming weeks.

Friday is the last date for withdrawal of candidacies. For the second and last phase of polling (December 14) in the remaining 93 constituencies of North and Central Gujarat, nominations will begin on November 27 and the last date of withdrawal is November 30.

The ruling BJP will unveil its campaign on Sunday when it will organise a Mann Ki Baat — Chay ke Saath , at all the 50,128 polling booths across Gujarat. Besides, the party will ‘air drop’ its top leaders from the Centre and the states for campaigning in all the 89 Assembly constituencies.

They include Union Ministers Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Uma Bharati and Purushottam Rupala, Chief Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), Raman Singh (Chhattisgarh),and Vasundhara Raje Scindia (Rajasthan). Besides Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, his predecessor Anandiben Patel and state BJP President Jitu Vaghani will also campaign in their respective areas.

The ruling party’s topmost campaigner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will launch a blitzkrieg on Monday (November 27) with public meetings at Bhuj (Kutch), Jasdan and Dhari-Amreli — both in the Saurashtra region and finally at Surat. On November 29, he will address public meetings at Morbi (Rajkot), Prachi (Somnath), Palitana (Bhavnagar) — all in the Saurashtra region — and Navsari in South Gujarat.

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