Surat, April 1 — Political activity has intensified in Surat in anticipation of the municipal elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party formally initiated its 'sensing' process for candidate selection on Wednesday. A significant crowd of workers and aspirants gathered at the party office in Udhna from morning.
In the first phase, opinions were collected from candidates interested in wards 1 to 12. This candidate selection process for all 30 wards of the Surat Municipal Corporation will continue for three days. Observers appointed by the party are meeting with aspirants from each ward individually to gather their opinions.
A total of 12 observers have been deployed in four different groups at the Udhna office to manage this entire process. The city BJP president, Paresh Patel, stated that the candidate selection process is being conducted in a completely democratic manner. He clarified that the party does not promote nepotism and will not grant tickets to two members of the same family. However, he refrained from commenting on whether current councilors would be given another chance.
Regarding political equations, among the 12 wards whose opinions were gathered on the first day, 7 are influenced by Patidar voters. Areas like Mota Varachha, Sarathana, Kapodra, Phulpada, Katargam, and Singanpor had previously posed a strong challenge to the BJP from the Aam Aadmi Party, leading the party to avoid taking risks this time.
Meanwhile, a significant development in Surat's politics emerged with the entry of Kavya Kathiriya, the wife of Alpesh Kathiriya, who has claimed strong candidacy for the BJP ticket from ward number 3. Having previously served as the vice-chairperson of the Kanakpur-Kansad municipality, she may benefit from her administrative experience. In the next two days, opinions from candidates in the remaining wards will be gathered, after which the BJP will announce its final list of candidates.
