Mumtaz Patel, daughter of the late veteran Congress leader Ahmed Patel, has apologised to the district cadre after the Bharuch parliamentary constituency was offered to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as part of a seat-sharing pact in Gujarat. This comes ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, where Patel was an aspirant for the Congress ticket for the Bharuch seat.
The announcement was made in a joint press conference in the national capital by Congress leader Mukul Wasnik and AAP representatives. Patel expressed her commitment to continue working to strengthen the party along with the party cadre in Bharuch.
In a post on social media, Patel stated, “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 INC stronger. We won’t let Ahmed Patel’s 45 years of Legacy go in vain.”
Mumtaz Patel had previously expressed her interest in contesting the Lok Sabha election from the stronghold of her late father, Ahmed Patel. Her brother, Faisal Patel, had also declared his intent to win the Bharuch seat, despite reports that former Congress President Rahul Gandhi was not in favor of giving AAP the Bharuch seat.
Faisal Patel had earlier stated that neither he nor the Congress cadre in Bharuch would support the decision to let the AAP contest the seat. He had posted on social media, “Honourable Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji, you listened to me and the Bharuch Congress workers. By supporting us, I and my fellow Bharuch Congress workers have been honored. I promise you that I will live up to your faith by winning the Bharuch Lok Sabha.”
Ahmed Patel had won the Bharuch seat in 1977, 1980, and 1984. However, since 1989, the BJP has dominated the seat, winning it multiple times. The incumbent MP, Mansukhbhai Vasava, has held the seat since 1998.
According to the compromise reached by the AAP and the Congress, in Gujarat, of the 26 parliamentary seats, the Congress will contest 24 seats, while the remaining two – Bharuch and Bhavyanagar – are in the AAP’s kitty. The party’s MLA and tribal leader, Chaitar Vasava, will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Bharuch seat.
Both parties have also finalized their seat-sharing pact for the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi after several rounds of deliberations, settling for a four-three seat-sharing formula, with AAP contesting four seats and Congress three.
Congress general secretary and MP Mukul Wasnik said, “Delhi Lok Sabha has 7 seats. AAP will contest on 4 – New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi, and East Delhi; Congress will contest on 3 – Chandni Chowk, North East, and North West.”
In Haryana, the Congress will contest on nine Lok Sabha seats, while AAP will contest on one seat. “Haryana has 10 Lok Sabha seats. Congress will contest on 9. AAP will have its candidates on 1 seat – on Kurukshetra,” Wasnik said.
After a long discussion on Chandigarh, it was decided that the Congress candidate will contest from there. Congress will also contest on both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa and the lone Chandigarh seat.
The Opposition has sealed the deal after intense negotiations, mixed signals, and public disagreement. This marks a significant step as they prepare to challenge the Narendra Modi-led BJP government.
Also Read: Late Congress leader Ahmed Patel’s Bharuch goes to AAP in Poll Alliance
