Sapling of socialist values sown in Gujarat: Akhilesh

The Samajwadi Party president was reacting to the victory of SP candidate Kandhal Jadeja in the recent Gujarat assembly polls. The Samajwadi Party had contested nearly 20 seats in Gujarat.

Lucknow: On the victory of SP candidate Kandhal Jadeja in the recent Gujarat assembly polls, Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav said that the “sapling of socialist values was sown in Gujarat.”

SP had announced that it would contest the Gujarat polls after Akhilesh, at the party’s national convention (which re-elected him the party’s national president for the third time) on September 29 had asked the party to turn itself into a national party. (Pic for representation)

Kandhal Jadeja, 50, whose full name is Kandhalbhai Sarmanbhai Jadeja, defeated BJP’s Dheliben Maldebhai Odedara by 26,712 votes in Porbandar’s Kutiyana constituency.

In a tweet in Hindi Akhilesh said: “Congratulations to Kandhal Jadeja on winning the Kutiyana seat in Gujarat’s Porbandar. The sapling of socialist values has been sown in Gujarat”.

Kandhal won the seat in 2012 and 2017 also on Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) tickets.

This time, he faced Dheliben Maldebhai Odedara of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Bhimabhai Danabhai Makvana of the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress’ Nathabhai Bhurabhai Odedara.

Kandhal Jadeja is the son of the late ‘godmother’ Santokben Sarmanbhai Jadeja. His two earlier wins from this seat were on tickets from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) but he was denied the ticket this time.

On being asked about the ticket denial, Jadeja told ANI in Gujarat, “Nobody knew about NCP when I brought it here in 2012. I contested and won twice. People voted in my name.”

“I resigned from the party, everybody followed and resigned. NCP is finished in Gujarat. I’ve now hopped on a bicycle,” Jadeja added.

Samajwadi Party had contested nearly 20 seats in Gujarat.

It had announced that it would contest the Gujarat polls after Akhilesh, at the party’s national convention (which re-elected him the party’s national president for the third time) on September 29 had asked the party to turn itself into a national party. “Next time when we meet at the national convention after five years, we should meet as a national party,” he had remarked. The Samajwadi Party is an Uttar Pradesh regional giant.