Ahmedabad, Nov 10 (PTI) The BJP has removed former MLA Mavji Patel, who is contesting as an independent in the Vav bypoll in Gujarat, and four others from the primary membership of the party and suspended them.
Patel, a director of Banas Bank, is contesting against the BJP's official candidate Swarupji Thakor. The November 13 bypoll was necessitated after Congress MLA Geniben Thakor was elected to the Lok Sabha.
Patel (73), who comes from the dominant Chaudhary community, aims to cause damage by attracting Chaudhary votes that conventionally go to the BJP.
He won the Vav seat in 1990 as a Janata Dal candidate. He then joined the Congress before switching to the ruling BJP in 2019 after being denied a ticket from Tharad seat in the 2017 assembly polls.
Patel was the Congress candidate from Tharad in Banaskantha district in the 2012 polls, but lost to the BJP. When he was denied a ticket in 2017 from the seat, he fought as an independent unsuccessfully against BJP's Parbatbhai Patel.
Apart from Patel, the BJP also suspended four other leaders from Banaskantha. They are Laljibhai Chaudhary, Devjibhai Patel, Dalrambhai Patel, and Jamabhai Patel.
In the November 13 bypolls, Thakor is pitted against Congress' Gulabsinh Rajput.
There are 10 candidates in the fray for the bypoll, including seven independents.