Gujarat polls: Kesarisinh Solanki, two-time BJP MLA denied ticket; joins AAP

Ahmedabad: Having been denied a ticket from his seat for the next Assembly elections by the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA for Gujarat's Kheda district's Matar Assembly constituency has joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

According to Gopal Italia, the state unit president of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, Kesarisinh Solanki, who had won the poll twice from the seat, joined the AAP.

The ruling BJP, which on Thursday released its first list of 160 candidates for the state elections, has named Kalpesh Parmar as its candidate for the Matar seat, which was represented by Solanki in 2014 and 2017.

Solanki had won the bye-election to the seat in 2014 after the then MLA Devusinh Chauhan won the Lok Sabha election.

Chauhan is currently the Union Minister of State for Communications. Solanki had also won the 2017 Assembly election from the constituency on the BJP ticket. The AAP has already declared the name of one Mahipatsinh Chauhan as its candidate for the seat.

With PTI inputs