In the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party has fielded Sonal Patel, a seasoned political figure and former Gujarat Mahila Congress President, to contest from the high-profile Gandhinagar constituency against the incumbent MP, Union Home Minister Amit Shah of the BJP.
This strategic decision comes after Congress candidate CJ Chavda's defeat in the 2019 elections, where HM Shah triumphed by a margin of 5.57 lakh votes.
Sonal Patel, 62, an architect and town planner by profession, has a long history with the Congress party, having led its women's wing and contested the 2022 Assembly elections from Naranpura, albeit unsuccessfully against the BJP's Jitendra Patel.
Daughter of veteran Congress leader the late Raman Patel, she is currently serving as Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, overseeing Mumbai and Western Maharashtra.
The Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, one of Gujarat's 26 parliamentary seats, holds a special status as the political epicentre of the state, which is also its capital.
Established in 1967, it has been a platform for several prominent leaders including former Prime Minister, late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Deputy Prime Minister, LK Advani, and now Home Minister, Amit Shah.
The seat's first Member of Parliament was Somchandbhai Solanki from the Congress. He was re-elected in 1971 while representing the Congress (Organisation).
The political landscape shifted in 1977 when Purushottam Mavalankar of the Janata Party, son of the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar, won the seat.
He was succeeded by Amrit Mohanlal Patel of the Congress in 1980, and later by IG Patel in 1984.
Since 1989, the constituency has largely been a stronghold of the BJP, starting with Shankersinh Vaghela's victory that year.
Senior leader Advani took over in 1991, followed by a significant moment in 1996 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee won but soon resigned to represent Lucknow, leading to a bye-election victory for Vijay Patel over film actor Rajesh Khanna of the Congress.
Gandhinagar has been distinguished by its high-profile representatives, including a Prime Minister and two Home Ministers, making it one of the most prestigious and closely-watched parliamentary constituencies in India.
(With inputs from IANS)
