Ahead of Gujarat Assembly polls, Hardik Patel joins BJP
Gandhinagar (Gujarat), June 2: Months ahead of the Assembly elections in Gujarat, former Congress leader Hardik Patel joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday.
Patel who had quit Congress last month joined BJP in presence of party state chief CR Patil at the party head office. Earlier on Thursday, he said that he is joining the BJP to work.
"Today I'm starting a new chapter. I will work as a small soldier. I have never put forth any demands before anyone for any post. I am joining the BJP to work," he added.
"When people are connecting with the ongoing development works in the country under the leadership of PM Modi, then I should also do the same. PM Modi is the pride of the entire world," Patel said.
Patel also stated that he would undertake a campaign to wean away Congress leaders in Gujarat.
Patel, who called Prime Minister Narendra Modi the "pride of the world," stated that after joining the BJP, he will hold an event every 10 days to invite Congress leaders, including MLAs, to join the BJP.
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Hardik rose to prominence in 2015 as the leader of the Patidar reservation agitation in Gujarat, strengthening the campaign in the run-up to the 2017 state Assembly elections.
Patel initially sought OBC recognition for the Patidar group. It was later turned into a demand for reservations in the Economically Weaker Section (EWS). His arrival on the political scene in the state put the state's then-chief minister, Anandiben Patel, in a dilemma. Anandiben Patel announced her resignation from the position in 2016.
Patel joined Congress in the presence of Rahul Gandhi ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In 2020, he was appointed as the working president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee. However, he accused Congress leadership of ignoring him when crucial decisions were being made, and he eventually left the party in 2022.
On May 19, this year, Patel resigned from the party, claiming that Gujarat Congress leaders were more concerned with ensuring that the politicians who came from Delhi to Gujarat got their "chicken sandwich" on time.
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-PTC News
