Congress gives in, gives it to Urmila
Another revolt brewing

The Congress on Tuesday formally announced former Union minister Urmila Patel’s name as its candidate for the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat. Bowing to pressure the party has managed to quell a revolt while sowing seeds of another.

Vadodara constituency was being eyed by Urmila Patel of the Janata Dal (G) faction ever since she lost her Rajya Sabha membership a few months back. The constituency ticket was to be given to former MP and National Youth Congress president Satyajit Gaekwad, who lost the last parliamentary elections with a narrow margin to BJP’ s Jaya Thakkar. The party high command decided against giving ticket to Mr Gaek wad after eight members of the Janata Dal (G) faction called upon AICC Gujarat incharge Madhavrao Scindia and treasurer Ahmed Patel in Delhi late on Monday night. They threatened to boycott the elections if their leader, Ms Urmila Patel, was not given the Vadodara ticket. Mr Scindia himself wanted that the ticket went to Mr Gaekwad.

With the declaration of Urmila Patel’s name, the JD(G) camp here was jubilant while supporters of Mr Gaekwad expressed "shock" at the farcical decision." Though Mr Gaekwad refused to divulge his plan of action the Nationalist Congress Party of Sharad Pawar claimed that he was in touch with them and was all set to contest from Vadodara the constituency he has nursed on a Congress ticket.

The NCP Gujarat incharge Hasmukh Upadhyay told that it was certaia that Mr Gaekwad would contest on an NCP ticket and win from Vadodara, the constituency he has nursed and represent ed. The Congress was tight-lipped. Sources claimed that the erstwhile ruler of Vadodara, Ranjitsinh Gaekwad and his family have decided to campaign for Sharad Pawar’s NCP. Congress said it will try to convince the royal family through Mr Scindia to drop the idea and canvass for the Congress’s official candidate. Madhavrao Scindia’s son is married to Ranjitsinh Gaekwad’s daughter. Meanwhile with the declaration of Urmila Patel’s name, the Congress has finished announcing candidates for all the 26 Constituencies. The four controversial seats whose names were not announced: Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Mehsana and Bharuch now have Urmila Patel, T.N. Seshan, Atmaram Patel and Amarsinh Vasawa contesting on Congress tickets.

However, though all the 26 names have been declared, there are chances of last minute changes in Jamnagar and Porbandar constituencies. For while the party has given the ticket to Mohammed Baloch, a former Congress minister, he has requested the party to drop him and give the ticket to any other suitable candidate. Mr Baloch is the only Muslim in Gujarat to have been given the Congress ticket. He has however conveyed to the state leaders that he is not very keen to contest. In his place, it is likely that the ticket will be given to Raghavji Patel, a former minister in the Shankarsinh Vaghela Cabinet. Raghavji Patel is at present the sitting Congress MLA representing Dhrol-Jodiya (Jamnagar district) in the Assembly. Similarly, Congress’s official candidate for the Probandar seat, Mr Chandu has taken ill.

Tell us what do you think about this article?