AHMEDABAD: Enervated by Hardik Patel’s exit, the Gujarat Congress now appears waiting for a fortuitous ‘yes’ from Naresh Patel, a powerful Patidar satrap from Saurashtra. So much so that the party, believing in the “eventual joining” of Naresh, has kept key organizational positions vacant, party
sources said.
Naresh Patel, 56, belongs to the Leuva Patidars or Patels, a sub-group of the numerically strong and politically influential Patidars. The community is spread across the Saurashtra region that accounts for about 48 seats in the 182-member Assembly. Naresh Patel is also the chairman of the influential Shree Khodaldham Trust (SKT).
Congress leaders have repeatedly talked about the party’s invite to Naresh. The last time Gujarat party in-charge Raghu Sharma, state party chief Jagdish Thakor and others met him at a Rajkot farmhouse was on May 19. The party leaders have since been waiting for Naresh’s final move. Everything in the party such as preparations for the Congress Mission 2022 have come to a halt, sources said.
An impression has gained ground within the party that the Patidar leader can choose any top position in the state unit panels such as the campaign, manifesto and publicity management committees. Party sources said the post of the campaign committee chief has been set aside for Naresh Patel.
“The BJP completed organizational appointments months ago. The party is now reaching out to voters individually at their homes across the state with a list of its achievements. On the other hand, the Congress has deferred its key appointments. This can prove fatal,” said a senior Congress leader.
For the record, Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi attributes the delay in party appointments to the “busy schedules” of some leaders. “We’ll be announcing some of these appointments in a few days, though for some posts, we may take a little longer,” said Doshi.
Patel: A politically influential Patidar
Naresh Patel, 56, belongs to the Leuva Patidars or Patels, a sub-group of the numerically strong and politically influential Patidars. The community is spread across the Saurashtra region that accounts for about 48 seats in the 182-member Assembly. Naresh Patel is also the chairman of the influential Shree Khodaldham Trust (SKT).