Congress leader Ahmed Patel (in photo), and BJP’s Amit Shah, Smriti Irani and turncoat Siddhpur MLA Balwantsinh Rajput are contesting the Rajya Sabha elections from Gujarat. “This is one of the most closely watched Rajya Sabha elections ever,” said Ghanshyam Shah, an Ahmedabad-based political expert. BJP’s national president Amit Shah, who has set an ambitious target of winning over 150 of the 182 assembly seats in the polls, is contesting the Rajya Sabha elections for the first time. The Rajya Sabha elections, which depend on a party’s strength in the state assembly, usually go uncontested. It will help BJP in achieving its 150-plus target in Gujarat elections,” said Bharat Pandya, the BJP spokesperson for Gujarat.

Source: Mint August 08, 2017 00:00 UTC