Poll pact in jeopardy as Cong gives mere two seats to Hardik’s PAAS

Manas Dasgupta

Ahmedabad, November 20

Delaying the announcement of the “agreement” the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti was claimed to have reached with the Congress yesterday, its convener Hardik Patel today appealed to his supporters not to come in the way of the PAAS going close to the Congress to defeat the “autocratic” BJP government in the state.

The “agreement” that both the Congress and the PAAS announced last evening leaving it to Hardik to give out the details at a PAAS rally in Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s constituency in Rajkot today, seemed to be falling apart after the Congress released its first list of 77 candidates late last night. The list included two PAAS conveners—Lalit Vasoya and Amit Thummar—to contest the Assembly elections as Congress candidates and immediately all hell broke out.

One of the closest confidants of Hardik, Dinesh Bhambhaniya, who acted as the PAAS spokesman and was part of the prolonged negotiations with the Congress, led a group of PAAS workers to the residence of the state Congress president Bharat Solanki and created ruckus. The police had to be called in who used force against Dinesh to remove him from the scene.

The PAAS workers were objecting against the Congress giving ticket to two PAAS members without consulting the core group. Besides, the PAAS leaders were also unhappy over the Congress giving ticket only to two, as against six, they wanted in the Kutch-Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions which would go to the polls on December 9. They also wanted to be kept in the loop in deciding the candidate to represent PAAS.

The Congress, it is learnt, is considering to change at least five candidates in its first list of 77 to pacify the agitating PAAS leaders and Hardik till then postponed announcing the details of the “agreement” the PAAS reached with the Congress. As trouble erupted between the Congress and the PAAS, about 150 Patidar leaders late night went to the BJP headquarters and officially joined the party.

The trouble between the Congress and the PAAS caused elation in the BJP camp who expected the Patels, so far the party’s strong vote bank, would tilt towards the BJP in larger numbers. Union Finance Minister and BJP in charge of the Gujarat elections, Arun Jaitley, who was in Rajkot today accompanying Rupani when he filed his nomination for the Rajkot West constituency, said though belatedly, it was good that the “Patidars had realised their folly of aligning with the Congress which was giving them the false promise of reservation if voted to power.”

Congress changes 4 candidates 

The Congress on Monday announced nine new candidates for the Gujarat elections and replaced four it had named a day ago.  The Congress had released its first list of 77 candidates for the phase one of polls scheduled for December 9. Bhikabhai Joshi has now been named as candidate from Junagarh, replacing Amit Thukral; Jaish Patel replaces Kiran Thakor in Bharuch; Ashok Jirawala is the new candidate from Kamrej in place of Neelesh Kumbani. Dhirubhai Gajera replaces Praful Bhai Togadiya from Varachha seat. 

Congress, NCP part ways 

The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which were alliance partners in the last two state Assembly elections in Gujarat, have parted company. The NCP on Monday announced that it would contest all the 182 seats in the state Assembly “on its own.” The understanding between the two parties fell apart because the NCP wanted the Congress to spare the party at least 12 seats while the Congress was willing to repeat only two of its sitting members who were elected with the Congress support in the 2012 elections.