Anand, March 16 (NationPress) The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has officially nominated senior leader Jayant Patel 'Boskey' as their candidate for the forthcoming by-election in the Umreth Assembly constituency of Gujarat, as confirmed by party officials on Monday.

In a statement to IANS, the State NCP President Nikul Singh Tomar indicated that the state leadership has put forward Patel's name for the seat and submitted it to the central leadership of the party for review.

"The name of Jayant Patel Boskey has been put forth as the candidate for the Umreth Assembly seat. We, from the state leadership, have sent the name," Tomar elaborated.

He mentioned that the ultimate decision will be made by the party's parliamentary board and is anticipated within the coming days.

"The final decision rests with the parliamentary board of the party. A decision is expected within two to three days," he noted.

Tomar characterized Patel as a seasoned politician, emphasizing that the NCP aims to contest the election under his leadership.

"He is a two-time MLA and has contested five Assembly elections. He is an extremely experienced leader, and we are preparing to fight under his direction," he stated.

Additionally, Tomar indicated that the NCP leadership is concurrently preparing for upcoming local elections in the state.

"Alongside this, potential candidates for the forthcoming local body elections are likely to be settled soon," he added.

Confirming that the state NCP unit recommended Patel's name, Brijmohan Shrivastav, the party's national general secretary and representative to the Election Commission, noted that the proposal will undergo scrutiny by the party's central bodies before a final decision is announced.

"The state leadership has selected a name. The final determination will be made by the parliamentary board and election committee. As of now, the name is merely proposed, not finalized," he told IANS.

Shrivastav also clarified the NCP's stance on alliances.

"Regarding our alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), we have a national alliance for the Lok Sabha and in Maharashtra. However, in other states' Assembly elections or local body elections, we do not have an alliance," he explained.

The Election Commission announced the by-election for the Umreth Assembly seat on March 15, following the vacancy created by the passing of BJP MLA Govind Parmar.

Patel and Parmar have previously contested elections against each other in the Umreth Assembly constituency.

In the 2012 Assembly elections, Patel, running on an NCP ticket, narrowly defeated Parmar of the BJP to win the seat.

Conversely, in the 2017 elections, Parmar emerged victorious, defeating Patel, who finished third behind both Parmar and the Congress candidate.

Polling for the Assembly constituency is slated for April 23 as part of by-elections occurring in various states across the nation.

The counting of votes will take place on May 4.

Situated in Anand district, the Umreth constituency has historically witnessed contests among multiple parties and retains significant political relevance in central Gujarat.