Subramanian Swamy bats for Anandiben Patel as President

Swamy says Anandiben can be the best candidate for President

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday pitched for former Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel as the party's candidate for the election to the President's post.

Swamy's tweet proposing Anandiben as the party's candidate for the presidential election has created a flutter in the state unit of the BJP.

"One of the best candidate for the President is former Gujarat CM Anandibehn Patel. So what, if she is a Gujarati? I am too a Gujarat's son-in-law," Swamy tweeted today.

Speculations are on as to who the BJP will select as its presidential candidate, the elections for which are likely to be held before July end.

Swamy's tweet at such a time has created a flutter in the state unit of the BJP with the party workers left discussing if Patel would be in the race for the post of President.

Nobody from the party, however, was willing to comment on the issue.

When contacted, Patel herself refused to give her view on the tweet.

Union minister Mansukh Mandavia, who was in Gandhinagar, too refused to comment on the tweet saying he has not seen it.

Patel became the Gujarat chief minister in May 2014 after Narendra Modi quit the state's chief ministership for over 13 years to be sworn as the country's prime minister.

Patel quit as the chief minister in August 2016.