As the electoral caravan rolls into Gujarat this year-end after the recent high-stakes polls to five States, the role of the Patidar community assumes critical importance. And with it, the likely political debut of businessman and social worker Naresh Patel.
Patidars, though only around 15% of the State’s population, are the dominant caste of Gujarat having disproportionate control over agriculture, cooperatives, small and medium enterprises and trade. The Rajkot-based Mr. Patel, through his community work, has emerged as the leader of a Patidar sub-caste, the Leuva Patidars, who are influential in around 35 Assembly seats in Saurashtra, Ahmedabad and Surat.
Making a beeline
With the influential community leader saying he “cannot specify the date now” but would “soon decide” on whether to join electoral politics ahead of the polls, the ruling BJP, opposition Congress and new entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are all trying to woo Mr. Patel.
In the past six months, top leaders from the BJP and Congress, including Gujarat BJP chief C.R. Paatil and Congressman Bharatsinh Solanki, have visited him with membership offers. There is also speculation that Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal has offered him a Rajya Sabha seat from Punjab.
“I thank all the three parties for inviting me to join their ranks,” Mr. Patil told mediapersons in Rajkot on Tuesday. Mr. Patel is the founding president of the Shree Khodaldham Trust, which runs an eponymous temple of the community deity and several educational and skill development institutes.
The 56-year-old, whose father was active in the Congress, rose to prominence with his helmsmanship of the temple, built with donations from Patidars around the world. The temple has hosted Narendra Modi when he was the Chief Minister, his successor Anandiben Patel, her successor Vijay Rupani, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and a host of Union Ministers.
Role as negotiator
In 2015 during the Patidar quota agitation, Mr. Patel was the main mediator between CM Anandiben and Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) chief Hardik Patel. Recently, he reiterated his demand for withdrawing the 200-plus cases that were filed by the police in connection with the deaths of over a dozen people after the agitation had turned violent.
After the results of the Assembly polls in five States, Mr. Patel had said that it is “important to have a strong Opposition in the country”. “From Indira Gandhi to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, all wanted the Opposition to be strong,” he said, adding that the Opposition also needed a “strong face”.
Sources say several Congress legislators, who have written to Mr. Gandhi seeking time to discuss strategy for the next Assembly polls, want him to invite Mr. Patel to join the party to take on the BJP in the State.
