Gujarat Elections 2022: Cricketer Ravindra Jadeja's wife Rivaba gets BJP ticket from Jamnagar North

Gujarat Assembly Polls 2022: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday fielded cricketer Ravindra Jadeja's wife Rivaba Jadeja from the Jamnagar North constituency for the upcoming assembly elections. 

The left-arm spinner tied the knot with Rivaba in April 2016. An engineering graduate, Rivaba comes from the Junagadh district of Gujarat while her cricketer husband hails from Jamnagar.

Soon after the announcements, Ravindra Jadeja congratulated his wife and said he was proud of all the effort and hard work she had put in. "My best wishes to you, may you continue to work for the development of society," he said.

The cricketer also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for believing in her abilities and giving her an opportunity to do noble work.    

Jamnagar North comes under the Jamnagar Lok Sabha constituency, which has been with the BJP since 1989 except for 10 years when the Congress won from here in 2004 and 2009.

In the last election held in 2017, the BJP's Merubha Dharmendrasinh Jadeja won the assembly seat by securing 59 per cent votes. Congress leader Ahir Jivanbhai Karubhai Kumbharvadiya came second with 30 per cent votes. The Congress had won Jamnagar North in 2012 when Dharmendrasinh Jadeja was its candidate.

The BJP's sitting MLA was earlier with the Congress but he was expelled after he cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha elections. He then joined the BJP and won the polls in 2017. 

While the Congress is yet to announce its candidate for Jamnagar North, the AAP has fielded Karsanbhai Karmur.

Besides, the BJP has given a ticket to Hardik Patel, who quit the Congress to join the saffron party, from Viramgam. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has been fielded from his constituency Ghatlodia. 

Gujarat will go to polls in two phases - December 1 and 5. The results will be announced on December 8.