AAP to contest Bharuch LS seat: Congress workers unhappy, say Ahmed Patel's children

Ahmedabad, Feb 24 (PTI) The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday agreed on a seat sharing formula in Gujarat under which the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit will contest from the Bharuch and Bhavnagar Lok Sabha seats.

However, the decision did not go down well with Faisal Patel and Mumtaz Patel, the son and daughter of Congress leader late Ahmed Patel, who had won from the Bharuch seat three times in the 1970s and 1980s.

While AAP candidate from Bharuch Chaitar Vasava claimed his victory from the seat will be a tribute to Ahmed Patel, the late leader's son Faisal Patel said Congress workers were not happy with the decision to cede the seat under the INDIA alliance agreement.

Faisal Patel, however, added he would abide by the decision of the Congress high command.

Asserting he would meet the party's central leadership, he said, "There is still a lot of time for nomination and election. A lot of things can still happen. My father did a lot for the people of Bharuch. This is our seat. The workers and I are against this alliance but we will accept whatever the party says," Faisal Patel told reporters.

Faisal Patel claimed he would win the seat if the Congress gives him the ticket from Bharuch.

Mumtaz Patel, meanwhile, issued an apology on social media to Congress workers and asked them to regroup to strengthen the party.

"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 @INCIndia stronger. We won't let @ahmedpatel 45 years of Legacy go in vain. #bharuchkibeti," she said in a post on X.

AAP Dediapada MLA Vasava thanked his party's leadership for choosing him as the candidate from Bharuch.

"I also thank local, state and national leaders of the Congress and assure them that I will win the seat, which will be a tribute to Ahmed Patel. Our entire effort will be to defeat the BJP," Vasava said in a video statement.

The Aam Aadmi announced that Botad MLA Umesh Makwana will be its candidate from Bhavnagar Lok Sabha seat.

The BJP swept Gujarat in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, winning all 26 seats.

As per the seat sharing agreement reached between the Congress and AAP on Saturday, the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit will contest from Bharuch and Bhavnagar in Gujarat and Kurukshetra in Haryana.

The AAP will also contest on four out of the seven seats in Delhi, both seats in Goa, while the Chandigarh seat will be contested by the Congress. PTI