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Delimitation demarcates Advani's LS seat
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July 10, 2008 11:01 IST

BJP's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani will be fighting the next general elections from his four-time Lok Sabha seat -- Gandhinagar --, but this time the saffron leader will have to face new people as the geography of the seat has changed due to the recent delimitation process.

The Gujarat BJP leaders have started surveying the delimited constituency to ensure that their leader is elected from the seat for the fifth time.

The BJP had in its first list of candidates last month for the Lok Sabha elections had announced that Advani will contest the polls from the Gandhinagar seat. Advani emerged as the clear winner from the seat in 1991, 1998, 1999 and 2004.

Couple of Assembly segments from his constituency, which were long considered as BJP bastions like Ellisbridge and Gandhinagar South (Gandhinagar was one assembly seat before delimitation and now it has been divided into two), have now been excluded from the BJP leader's constituency.

Two new assembly segments of Sanad and Kalol have been included in the geographical area of the seat after delimitation.

The BJP is confident that the delimitation will not affect the winning streak of their prime ministerial candidate, party sources said.

"In the recent assembly elections we had lost in just Kalol Assembly segment in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat. We had won all other assembly seats and this only shows that this is one of the safest seat for Advaniji," BJP state unit general secretary Bhiku Talsania said.

The party has commissioned surveys in all the assembly segments of Gandhinagar constituency to ensure the party leader's victory, he added.

The BJP is strategically identifying the party's support base in the delimited Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, party sources said.

Advani's Gandhinagar constituency includes assembly segments of Gandhinagar North, Kalol, Sanand, Ghatlodia, Vejalpur, Naranpura and Sabarmati.

The BJP has also undertaken surveys in all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state, Talsania added.

However, Opposition Congress has not started any exercise to counter Advani's candidature from Gandhinagar constituency so far.

"It is too early to say anything on it. They are expecting early elections but elections will come at the end of the term of the present UPA government," a Congress leader said.


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