Cong faces Koli Patels’ wrath over Bhavnaben’s omission

The last moment decision by the Congress to offer the Navsari Lok Sabha ticket to Dhansukh Rajput instead of Bhavna Patel has angered members of the Koli Patel community, who, with more than four lakh votes, will play a decisive role in the forthcoming elections. Leaders of the community have decided to abstain from voting and not support Rajput in the elections.

For the newly created Navsari seat, the Congress first announced Patel’s name, but later fielded Rajput, the Congress councillor from Surat Municipal Corporation ward no. 32. Party workers had welcomed the earlier decision to field Patel. The change of candidate has now tilted the scales away from the Congress in Navsari. In a bid to dent the Congress’s chances in the Lok Sabha polls, leaders of the Koli community said they will abstain from casting their votes. Chottu Pithawala, president of the Gujarat Koli Samaj, termed the decision as a conspiracy against the community and said that Patel could easily have won the seat for the Congress.

Community leaders will meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the coming days to take up the issue with her. “The Congress has hurt the feelings of the entire Patel community, which has always supported it when needed. We were hoping that the Congress this time will give a ticket to a person from our community; but we were disappointed. The state leadership went against all equations while declaring Rajput as the candidate and it will cost the party dearly,” Pithawala said.