The Bharatiya Tribal Party will fight from 20 Lok Sabha seats spread across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Union Territory Daman and Diu, its chief Chhotubhai Vasava said Sunday.
The BTP, which was founded on the eve of the 2017 Assembly polls in Gujarat, had managed to win two seats in the 182-member House.
Vasava won from Jhagadiya while his son Mahesh is the MLA from Dediapada.
The BTP also won the Sagwara and Chorasi Assembly seats in the 2018 Rajasthan polls.
Speaking to PTI, the BTP founder said, "I will contest from Bharuch Lok Sabha seat as it has a sizable presence of tribals. Apart from Jhagadiya and Dediapada, represented by the BTP, tribals are present in large numbers in Ankleshwar, Bharuch, Vagra, Karjan and Netrang assembly constituencies as well."
"The BJP and the Congress are dividing tribal votes for selfish interests. We want to protect tribal interests and represent them in Parliament," he added.
"We will contest from 20 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, apart from Gujarat," Vasava said.
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He said the party will contest from six Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, namely Bharuch, Valsad, Bardoli, Dahod Chhotaudepur and Banaskantha, and the lone seat from Daman and Diu.
He hit out at the Congress for rejecting his offer for an alliance for the April-May Lok Sabha polls.
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