23 Patidar leaders to contest Gujarat Assembly polls

Surat/Ahmedabad, Aug 28 (IANS) Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Dinesh Bambhaniya on Sunday said that at least 23 of its leaders will contest the forthcoming Assembly elections in Gujarat.

He said in a tweet, "In the 2022 Gujarat Assembly Elections Patidars' 23 leaders will contest elections, numbers may increase, now the elections are going to be more interesting."

A few days ago, Bambhaniya in a letter addressed to Hardik Patel had requested him to return to the PAAS platform and fight for the people's issues. Bambhaniya had said in the letter, "If a community leader joins any political party, one loses individual's the power to raise and fight for any issue and one has to follow the party line."

Bambhaniya told IANS, "PAAS along with the communities, various religious organisations will scrutinize each candidate's background to be nominated as the community candidate. One may contest on symbols of any political party, but if anyone has worked against the community, he or she will never be recommended by the Patidar community."

"PAAS is not registered as a political party, so one can contest from the party they select or even as an independent candidate, but has to work for the Patidar community' pending issues and development," Bambhaniya.

Surprised by Dinesh Bambhaniya's announcement, PAAS women wing president and Congress General Secretary Geeta Patel told to IANS, "I am unaware about such a decision, I am with the Congress party but will keep serving Patidar's cause."

Another former convener of PAAS and now BJP leader Varun Patel too was unaware about the PAAS decision to contest the Assembly elections. He told IANS, "I am a soldier of the BJP and Patidars, I will stick to the party, will follow the party's orders and serve the society."