Vadodara, March 23 - Two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha candidates in Gujarat have surprised many by expressing their reluctance to contest the upcoming elections. Vadodara MP Ranjanben Bhatt and BJP candidate from Sabarkantha Lok Sabha seat, Bhikhaji Thakor, have both announced their decisions not to contest, citing personal reasons.

Ranjanben Bhatt, who has been MP from Vadodara for two terms and was set to contest for the third consecutive time, withdrew her candidature after facing opposition from first Jyotiben Pandya and later MLA Ketan Inamdar in Vadodara. This decision came despite banners against her being put up in many societies near Harni Road Sangam intersection, leading to the immediate arrest of Congress workers responsible for the act.

On the other hand, Bhikhaji Thakor, who was slated to contest from Sabarkantha, expressed his displeasure for undisclosed reasons. The BJP had replaced sitting MP Deep Singh Rathore with Thakor for this seat, which has a majority tribal vote bank traditionally favoring the Congress. Thakor's withdrawal has paved the way for the Congress candidate Tushar Choudhary, son of former Chief Minister Amar Singh Choudhary, to contest from this seat. Tushar's stepmother, Nisha Chaudhary, has also won from Sabarkantha thrice in 1996, 1998, and 1999, further complicating the electoral dynamics in the region.