Modi manages to keep Pandya out of party’s second list too

Today’s list included Visavadar, the constituency of former CM Keshubhai Patel. The ticket has gone to his loyalist Kansubhai Bhalala, a BJP taluka unit president.

But it’s the Ellisbridge omission that was more controversial. While Modi, the sticking point in the episode, appears unable to get over a bitter feud with Pandya, the latter — a popular leader and three-time MLA — has everybody behind him, from the high command to the Sangh Parivar and former chief minister Keshubhai Patel.

The high command has several reasons for not bowing to Modi’s wishes. One, it sees no good reason to drop Pandya. Two, he’s a leader of the Brahmin community and denying him a ticket would alienate the whole community. Three, the leadership won’t want Modi to act like a despot when it actually wants to rein him in.

The party’s official line, as stated by general secretary Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, is: ‘‘We have not received recommendations from the state election committee for some seats.’’

Tell that to Pandya’s supporters in Ahmedabad, who staged demonstrations outside his residence in the city and in front of Modi’s Gandhinagar residence to press his candidature.

A beaming Pandya said he was willing to wait. ‘‘Let the party decide. National leaders know all about me and they cannot hold on to just one seat. Let’s wait and see.’’

There were protests in Gandhinagar over other nominations as well, BJP workers criticising the ‘‘dropping of sitting MLAs and renominating of those who did little during their last tenure.’’

Adding to the heat was the party’s inability to name its candidate for the Godhra seat. Naqvi denied that it had been alloted to a VHP functionary, rumours of which had sparked protests in Godhra yesterday and today. Those protests were mirrored elsewhere in the state:

• In Gandhinagar, party workers from Jamnagar warned that the BJP would lose both seats there if it stuck to its decision not to renominate sitting MLA and former minister Parmanand Khattar in the next two days. His supporters sent a letter to Modi, Keshubhai and state BJP chief Rajendrasinh Rana saying nominee Vasuben Trivedi was a ‘‘non-entity’’ for locals

• Supporters of Asarwa (Ahmedabad) MLA Amrish Patel, dropped from the first list of candidates, waved placards and shouted slogans against nominated Pradeepsinh Jadeja

• Soma Ganda Patel, given a ticket from Wankaner seat, told the party he hadn’t been consulted and would like to stand from Viramgam, his hometown

• BJP workers protested against a move to renominate deputy Speaker Upendra Trivedi from Bhiloda and demanded that local RSS leader Prabhudas Patel be selected. ‘‘We don’t want a kalakar, we want a karyakar,’’ they said, referring to Trivedi’s film background

• In Ahmedabad, BJP workers from Naroda held a demonstration outside the party office as well as outside Modi’s residence to protest against the renomination of Dr Mayaben Kodnani. Since there were a large number of Patels in the constituency, a Patel candidate should be nominated, they said.