Gujarat: BJP replaces candidate yet to turn 21 with her sister-in-law

“The legal cell of the BJP detected that Disha was two months short of attaining age of 21 years and hence ineligible for contesting… Therefore, the party gave ticket to my daughter Krupa,” Aala told The Indian Express on Sunday, adding Krupa, a homemaker, is 26.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has replaced Disha Bharai, its candidate for Ward No.2 of Jamnagar Municipal Corporation (JMC), with her sister-in-law Krupa Bharai on Saturday after it emerged that Disha was yet to turn 21, making her not eligible to contest the civic body polls.

Krupa is sitting BJP corporator Aala Bharai’s daughter, while Disha is his daughter-in-law even as the BJP maintained that they had given ticket to “the family dedicated to the party”. Disha is married to Ala Bharai’s son Amir. Both are pursuing their undergraduate courses.

“The legal cell of the BJP detected that Disha was two months short of attaining age of 21 years and hence ineligible for contesting… Therefore, the party gave ticket to my daughter Krupa,” Aala told The Indian Express on Sunday, adding Krupa, a homemaker, is 26.

Aala is the sitting corporator from Ward 2. “I was elected to JMC for the first time in 2015… I am just 40 and therefore eligible to seek ticket again. But one the four seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Ward No.2 is reserved for woman candidate..,Therefore, I suggested the name of my daughter-in-law and later my daughter…” said Aala who runs a teastall chain and is also president of the Association of Hoteliers, Jamnagar city.

Vimal Kagathara, president of Jamangar city unit of the BJP, said that the party had to allot one ticket to the Bharais. “They are a family dedicated to the BJP for years and therefore, party had to allot one ticket to them… Also, we didn’t have many options as the seat is reserved for ST women,” he said.

Aala had also served as the president of Jamnagar city unit of BJP Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP.

Source: Read Full Article