Ravindra Jadeja congratulates wife Rivaba on being named BJP candidate in Gujarat election

After Rivaba Jadeja featured in the Bharatiya Janata Party's first list of candidates for the assembly elections in Gujarat, her cricketer husband Ravindra Jadeja congratulated her on Thursday.

Taking to Twitter, the all-rounder who is missing the ongoing T20 World Cup, expressed pride in all the efforts and hard work put in by his wife. 

Jadeja thanks PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah

Extending his best wishes to Rivaba, who has been named as the candidate of BJP from the Jamnagar North seat, Jadeja wished she continues to work for the development of the society. He further said on the microblogging site, "I also wish to thank our honourable PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji and Shri Amit Shah Ji for believing in her abilities and giving her an opportunity to do noble work."

Rivaba, a relative of Congress veteran Hari Singh Solanki, married Jadeja in 2016. Though a mechanical engineer by education, she relied on the ex-royal Rajput lineage of her in-laws to establish herself as an active politician in the Jamnagar-Saurashtra region of Gujarat. She joined the ruling BJP in 2019 and in just two years, has replaced sitting MLA Dharmendrasinh M Jadeja in the Jamnagar North seat.

BJP releases first list of candidates for Gujarat 

Rivaba is one of the 160 candidates announced by the BJP for the assembly elections in Gujrat. Of the candidates, 14 are women, 24 belong to the category of Scheduled Tribes and 13 to the Scheduled Castes. The list was released after a marathon of meetings this week.

A day before the release the meeting of the Central Election Committee (CEC) was held, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi also in attendance. A day before the meeting of the CEC, a meet of the core group was held, which had in attendance Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, BJP's state unit president CR Patil, and other senior leaders.

In Gujarat, the elections to elect the Members of Legislative Assemblies for the 182 constituencies, will be held in two phases on December 1 and December 5, and the results will be announced on December 8. 4,90,89,765 are eligible to vote in the elections, at 7,881 polling stations set up across the state.