'Revenge of the prince': BJP on Congress giving away Ahmed Patel's Bharuch to AAP

BJP's Amit Malviya said Gandhis believe in use and throw and hence gave away Ahmed Patel's Bharuch seat to AAP in the seat-sharing deal.

Updated on: Feb 24, 2024, 20:30:04 IST

By HT News Desk

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Former Congress leader and now a BJP spokesperson, Jaiveer Shergill said handing over Gujarat's Bharuch constituency to the Aam Aadmi Party in the seat-sharing deal for the 2024 Lok Sabha election is the revenge of the 'Prince' hinting at the difference between late Ahmed Patel and Rahul Gandhi. The Congress and the AAP announced their seat-sharing deal raising many an eyebrow and setting tongues wagging as Congress will not field any candidate from Bharuch but AAP will. BJP's Amit Malviya said giving away Bharuch to AAP is Rahul Gandhi's attempt to erase Ahmed Patel's legacy. Malviya wrote this sharing Ahmed Patel's daughter Mumtaz Patel's post on X in which she apologised to the district cadre for not being able to hold Bharuch.

Congress has agreed to give AAP the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat which was represented by Ahmed Patel in the '70s and '80s.

AAP and Congress will be contesting the Lok Sabha elections together in Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana and Goa but not in Punjab. In Gujarat, Congress agreed to give two seats to AAP -- Bhavnagar and Bharuch. Bharuch is the legacy seat of the late Ahmed Patel and the decision did not go down well with Patel's son and daughter.

'Deeply apologise'

"Deeply apologize to our district cadre for not being able to secure the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in alliance. I share your disappointment. Together, we will regroup to make @INCIndia stronger. We won't let @ahmedpatel 45 years of Legacy go in vain. #bharuchkibeti," Mumtaz Patel wrote in a post on X.

Ahmed Patel's son Faisal said the party workers were not happy that the seat will be going to AAP. Hours before the decision, on Friday night, Faisal put out an X post praising Rahul Gandhi triggering speculations that Bharuch will probably remain with the Congress. In his post, Faisal thanked Rahul Gandhi for listening to him and the Bharuch Congress workers.

A day later, the seat went to AAP.

Who is Chaitar Vasava the AAP candidate from Bharuch?

In the 1970s and 80s, Ahmed Patel won the Bharuch seat thrice. Since 1989, Bharuch has become a BJP stronghold as the BJP has been winning the seat without any exception. The sitting MP from the seat in Mansukhbhai Vasava. AAP's Caitar Vasava will be contesting the seat in 2024 as INDIA bloc's candidate. Chaitar said if he wins from the seat, it will be a tribute to Ahmed Patel -- though he might not get the support of the Congress local cadre.

Chaitar Vasava is one of the five AAP leaders who won in 2022 Assembly election in Gujarat. Vasava is a tribal leader who became the MLA for the first time in 2022. In December last year, he and his wife were arrested in a case in which he surrendered. Hvasava allegedly fired in the air to threaten forest officers.

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HT News Desk
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