Congress-Hardik Patel deal in Gujarat hangs in balance after Patidar fury greets party's Assembly poll list

Members of the Hardik Patel-led PAAS protested and even clashed with Congress supporters in some parts of Gujarat after the grand old party released its first list of candidates for the state's Assembly election.

IndiaToday.in  | Written by Dev Goswami
New Delhi, November 20, 2017 | UPDATED 05:26 IST
Congress earlier said it had arrived at an agreement with the Hardik Patel-led PAAS on reservations for the Patidar communityCongress earlier said it had arrived at an agreement with the Hardik Patel-led PAAS on reservations for the Patidar community

Highlights

  • 1
    Congress says reached deal with Hardik Patel over Patidar reservation.
  • 2
    Congress releases list of 77 candidates for Gujarat polls.
  • 3
    PAAS members hold protest against the list in several parts of Gujarat.

A shaky Patidar reservation deal finalised between Congress and Hardik Patel's Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) in Gujarat seems to be teetering on the edge after the grand old party announced its first list of candidates for the state's upcoming Assembly election.

Early Sunday evening, India Today reported that Congress and PAAS had arrived at a deal for the Gujarat polls and that the firebrand Patidar leader Hardik Patel would formally announce the alliance at a rally today.

Hours later, the Congress released its first list of 77 candidates for the forthcoming 182-seat Gujarat election. The list included two PAAS leaders (Lalit Vasoya from Dhoraji and Amit Thummar from Junagadh seat).

There were also unconfirmed reports that one more PAAS member had been accommodated in the list while news agency PTI reported that around 20 other Patel candidates, none them PAAS members, were also given Congress tickets to fight the first phase of the two-part Gujarat polls.

The low number of PAAS candidates in the Congress's first list has seemingly angered members of the Hardik Patel-led organisation. While Patel, who Congress said would formally announce support at a rally in Rajkot, remained mum, members of his reservation movement clashed supporters of the grand old part in some areas and held protest in others.

"The Congress has given tickets to two of our members without taking us into confidence. Other Patel candidates that they have selected are bogus. We will hold a massive protests against Congress tomorrow," a local PAAS convenor Alpesh Kathiria was quoted as saying by PTI.

According to local news channel TV9 Gujarati, clashes and protests were reported from several areas including Surat, Junagadh, Amerli, Morbi and Ahemdabad.

In Surat, PAAS members attacked a local Congress office, clashing with party cadre in the Varachha Road Assembly constituency. The Congress picked its own leader - Praful Togadiya - to fight from Varachha Road.

In visuals shared by local journalists on Twitter, the Congress office was seen getting ransacked. The two factions also got into fistfights outside the office.

"Our community members have not been given proper representation in the list that has been declared. We will not allow any Congress office to function in the state," Surat city PAAS convenor Dharmik Malaviya was quoted as saying by PTI.

Meanwhile, in Ahmedabad, police presence was beefed up outside the home of Bharatsinh Solanki, the Gujarat Congress chief. According to a report in local daily Divya Bhaskar, prominent PAAS leader Dinesh Bhambhani attempted meeting Solanki late in the night at his residence and got into a quarrel with the policemen posted at the Congress state chief's home.

Speaking to reporters outside Solanki's residence, Bhambhani claimed the PAAS was not consulted by the Congress before the latter released its list.

News agency ANI quoted the Patidar leader as saying that PAAS would ask its leaders who were given a ticket by the Congress not to file their nominations. "We will oppose the Congress party," Bhambhani said, adding, "We will mull over giving support to Congress."

Interestingly, Bhambhani is the same leader who earlier on Sunday evening had effectively confirmed that Hardik Patel would ask Patidars to lend their support to Congress. "A formal announcement about Congress's formula (on reservation for Patidars) and the other issues on which consensus has been reached will be announced by Hardik in a rally in Rajkot on Monday evening," he had said.

With the Congress's first list of candidates (read the full list here) creating discontent in several PAAS quarters, it remains to be seen if Patel will go ahead with his announcement.

Gujarat will vote in a new Assembly in two phases - 89 of the total 182 seats will go to poll in the first phase on December 9, while voting in the remaining constituencies will take place on December 14. results will be announced on December 18.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has announced 106 candidates so far, has been in power in Gujarat for over two decades. This year's election, however, will be the first to be held after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a four-time Gujarat Chief Minister, left Gandhinagar for New Delhi.