Gujarat Confidential: BJP’s campaign call

BJP leader Anjaliben Rupani, wife of former Chief Minister the late Vijay Rupani, has started campaigning for the party ahead of the local body polls in the state. Recently, Anjaliben undertook a door-to-door campaign in several wards of the Rajkot city. Sources said she was visibly emotional during campaigning while remembering her husband, who was among those killed in the Ahmedabad air plane crash in June last year. In the current organisational set-up of the BJP in Rajkot, Anjaliben is a member of its executive committee.

Punitive Action

THE BJP’s Surat city unit president Paresh Patel on Sunday suspended three persons from the party for six years for alleged anti-party activities. The three have been identified as Milind Sapkal, Harish Sapkal and Anil Sonkar. Sources said Milind earlier sought a BJP party ticket from ward 19 in Surat Municipal Corporation in the coming local body polls. However, he was reportedly denied ticket. Later, he was fielded by the Congress party from ward 19. BJP party sources said that Harish and Anil were helping Milind in “election management” against BJP candidates and thus were handed out the punitive action. So far, a total of five BJP workers have been suspended by the party in the run-up to the local body elections.