Turned down by Patels, Cong to focus on traditional vote bank in poll-bound Guj

Ahmedabad: The Patel chapter of the Congress party was closed before the assembly elections in Gujarat. Congress’s Decorated Patel leader Hardik Patel has left the party and is now rooting for Bharatiya Janata Party and Narendra Modi. On the other hand, Naresh Patel has declared that he will not enter active politics yet. Remember, Naresh Patel is a leader of the influential Leuva Patel community and is the chairman of the Shrikhodladham Trust.

He said that senior people associated with society do not want him to enter politics. Anyway, after the failure of the Congress deals with Prashant Kishor, it seemed that Naresh Patel would stay away from the Congress. Keep in mind that Naresh Patel’s joining the Congress was discussed only at the time of Prashant Kishor joining the Congress. It was Prashant Kishor who had made him meet the top Congress leaders. Patel also had a condition that if Prashant Kishor contests the Congress elections, then he would join the Congress. Now since he has refused to enter active politics, there is no question of joining Congress.

In this way, Congress once again has kept itself away from ‘Patel politics’. Anyway, Congress never used to do Patel politics in Gujarat. Patels have been voting for the BJP for more than 30 years. Unlike the Patels, the focus of the Congress is on the weak equations i.e. Kshatriyas, Harijans, Adivasis, and Muslims. This time also Congress will fight the elections on the same formula.