Limited Oppn space in Guj, BJP in strong position: Guj CM Patel

Gandhinagar: Asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on a strong footing in Gujarat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has said that Prime Minister Naren a Modi’s popularity and po lic i e s h a v e s h r u n k the opposition space in the state and in that limited space some may choose the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the Congress in the upcoming state assembly polls.

Underlining that the state’s finances are in good shape, Patel said in the long run the AAP’s culture of freebies is not good for the state and society as well. Interacting with a select group of journalists, Patel said the BJP is in a strong position in the state and is continuously engaging with the people.

When asked about the prospects of the AAP in Gujarat Assembly polls, Patel said, “See in democracy every party has the right to contest elections. But please understand that the BJP is functioning consistently with the same intensity, engaging with people and staying with them.

” On the back of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rising popularity and his pro-people policies, the BJP is in a strong position in Gujarat and the opposition space is shrinking so in that space some people might choose the AAP over the Congress, Patel said. Citing the BJP’s performance in local elections, he said this time the party even got a clear majority in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) after a very long time.

There is a very good coordination between the government and the organization, which has ensured effective delivery of all welfare schemes on the ground.

Asked if some senior MLAs would be dropped during ticket distribution, Patel said in the BJP everyone is a worker first. “In BJP, no one’s ticket to contest elections is permanent, not even of the chief minister. Everyone is a party worker first and has to work for the organization and the society at large,” he said.