Latest news with #Patidars
Indian Express
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
In Gujarat, Patidar pitch for Cong chief post grows as key faces reach out to Rahul Gandhi
Days after Shaktisinh Gohil resigned as the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president owning moral responsibility for the party's defeat in the recent Visavadar and Kadi Assembly bypolls, a slew of the party's Patidar faces have demanded that a leader from their community be named the new GPCC chief. At least 28 Patidar leaders from the Congress, including several former MLAs and MPs, met at a farmhouse in Ahmedabad on July 1, following which ex-MP Virji Thummar wrote to Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over their demand. The meeting concluded that as the Congress has long 'sidelined' Patidars in its Gujarat politics, the appointment of a Patidar leader at the helm of the GPCC would boost the party's prospects in the state, sources said. Some leaders claimed that 'a section of Patidars is not very happy with the ruling BJP, so they could return to the Congress if the party gives its leadership to a Patidar face', sources said. In the post-Narendra Modi period in Gujarat, the Congress put up its best performance in the 2017 Assembly elections on the back of the Patidar quota agitation led by Hardik Patel. Patidars, listed in the general category, are considered a politically-influential community in Gujarat, given their numerical strength as well as dominance in several major sectors including agriculture, trade and education. The community forms the core of the BJP support base in the state. Their alliance however came under severe strain during Patidars' 2015-17 stir demanding that the community be put in the OBC category and be extended the attendant benefits of reservation in government jobs and education. In the 2017 polls, the Congress won 77 of 182 seats while the BJP's tally plunged to just 99 seats. In the 2022 polls, however, the BJP regained the Patidar community's support, registering its best-ever performance by bagging 156 seats against the Congress's 17. The current BJP's Chief Minister is a Patidar face Bhupendra Patel. The Gujarat Congress has mostly been headed by the OBC leaders, its last Patidar president being Siddharth Patel, son of ex-CM late Chimanbhai Patel, who held the post during 2008-10. The tallest Patidar leader to hold the post and for the longest period was its first president Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who remained the GPCC president from its inception in 1920 until 1946. The last time a Patidar leader held a key Congress position in Gujarat was during 2018-2021 when Paresh Dhanani served as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader. The July 1 meeting of the Congress's Patidar leaders lasted for three hours, with the attendees including Virji Thummar, ex MLAs Lalit Vasoya, Lalit Kathagra, Gitaben Patel and Pratap Dudhat, ex-Mahila Morcha chief and Virji Thummar's daughter Jenny Thummar, among others. Senior Patidar leaders such as Siddharth Patel, Paresh Dhanani, and Ashok Adhewada, gave the meeting a miss due to 'personal and social reasons'. Sources said the invitation was extended to 34 Patidar leaders of the state Congress, of whom 28 attended the meeting. In his letter to Rahul Gandhi, Virji, former Amreli MP, stated: 'We are seeking an appointment with you to discuss the present situation of Congress in Gujarat and how the caste equation and balance are much needed… for the better performance of the party in the upcoming elections (and) for a more inclusive party politics. Please accept our proposal and call us soon for a meeting.' Talking to The Indian Express, Virji said, 'In the July 1 meeting, it was discussed how the Congress could get the Patidar community's support back, which was earlier a strong vote bank of the party. We concluded that if the Congress appoints a Patidar leader as the GPCC chief, the community could get reconnected to the party. There are over 11% Patidar voters in Gujarat. Patidars are financially strong, and other castes also support them. The community is very unhappy with the present BJP. If the community is given respect by making one of their leaders as GPCC president, we are sure they would return to the Congress.' Virji also said, 'Before writing the letter to Rahul Gandhi, I called up AICC's observer for Gujarat Mukul Wasnik and shared the conclusion of our community leaders' meeting… Wasnik said he has sent our meeting proposal to Gandhi.' Lalit Vasoya, ex-Dhoraji MLA, told The Indian Express: 'The GPCC president's post is lying vacant now and no Patidar has been chosen for it for a long time. So why can't we seize the opportunity and make our case to Rahul Gandhi.' Paresh Dhanani said, 'The Congress should appoint such a leader as the GPCC chief who is affiliated to the party's ideology. In Gujarat, political leaders indulge in casteism and communalism, but the voters do not believe in them. Patidars have been left out from the posts of GPCC president and LoP (CLP leader) in Gujarat for a long time, barring the stints of Siddharthbhai Patel and me.' He also said, 'In the 2017 elections, the Congress secured 77 seats, largely due to the Patidar quota movement, which had spread across the state. Patidars were unhappy with the BJP, so they backed the Congress. The Patidar votes are influential in 106 seats, which include 33 seats where the Patidar candidates from different parties contest against each other. If a Patidar is made the GPCC chief, it would impact the state's political equations and benefit the Congress.' Jenny Thummar said the July 1 meeting focused on regaining the Patidar votes for the Congress. 'The party appointed 41 DCC chiefs, of whom seven are Patidars. Our meeting discussed ways to support them and strengthen the Congress organisation. A key point was how a Patidar GPCC chief would bolster the party.'
Indian Express
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Patidar leaders list seven ‘social issues', to meet CM Patel seeking action
Former leaders of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) on Saturday said that they have listed 'seven social issues' to highlight before the state government and that if no steps are taken by August 25 — which will mark 10 years of the Patidar movement — they will organise a public meeting to raise awareness and seek public support. As leaders and conveners of the Patidar body met on Saturday, the poster boy of the PAAS movement, Hardik Patel, and AAP MLA Gopal Italiya skipped the meeting. Congress MLA Kirit Patel from Patan, former Congress MLAs Lalit Vasoya and Lalit Kagathara, and Patidar leaders from the BJP and AAP, conveners, co-conveners, and other PAAS leaders from various parts of Gujarat gathered at Sargasan on Saturday afternoon to participate in the 'Patidar Chintan Shibir'. Sources in the PAAS said that over 250 Patidar community youths and leaders graced the event. Sources also said that some topics were listed for discussion by the leaders. Discussions were held on making signatures of parents mandatory for marriage registration, online gaming, online gambling, ban on loan sharks, 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in local body elections, appointment of chairman of Gujarat State Commission for Unreserved Classes, making Gondal terror free, withdrawal of pending police cases against Patidars registered during their movement, addition of Karamsad in Anand Municipality and renaming it to Sardar Dham. Former PAAS state convener Dinesh Bamaniya said, 'We were expecting around 50 to 60 attendees, but over 300 people participated. In the coming days, we will take an appointment, meet the Chief Minister and present before him seven of these issues for his government to take necessary steps before August 25. If the government fails to take action, we will hold meetings to seek public support. I have filed a PIL in the Gujarat High Court for a 10 per cent reservation for EWS in local body elections, and the hearing is scheduled for Monday. The Sardar Patel Group and PAAS will work jointly.' Former PAAS convener and AAP's women wing president Reshma Patel said, 'The meeting was quite good as old friends met after a long time. The issues discussed were social and not related to any community. The issue of parents' signatures during marriage registrations is quite important. I am not against love marriages, but in many cases, a girl makes a decision after getting influenced by the other party. She suffers later and with no support from her community or parents, her situation becomes pitiable. In some cases, we have seen girls committing suicide. So we want the government to establish stricter rules for marriage registration.' 'Another significant issue was the appointment of chairperson of the Gujarat State Commission for Unreserved Classes. When the commission was formed, a chairperson was appointed, but after his term ended, no new appointment was made. Additionally, the funds allocated for beneficiaries in the commission remain unused due to strict and complicated procedures. We will request the government to simplify rules so that more people can avail the benefit and the funds are properly utilised. However, the other issues were equally important to us.'
Indian Express
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
CPI (M) member, practising lawyer: Meet Satyesha Leuva – a 25-year-old woman elected Sarpanch of a Gujarat village
As the counting of votes was conducted for the elections of around 3,894 gram panchayats in Gujarat on Wednesday, 25-year-old Satyesha Leuva was elected Sarpanch of Vadvasa village of Prantij taluka in Sabarkantha district. Even as the gram panchayat elections are not fought on party symbols, Satyesha said she follows the communist ideology and is an office bearer of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Gujarat. Satyesha fought the election for the post of village Sarpanch, which was reserved for women of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities. Satyesha registered a total of 596 votes while defeating her two opponents, Savita and Pushpa, who got 492 and 236 votes, respectively. The village has a population of around 3,000 residents. The population is dominated by OBC communities followed by Patidars and SCs. Vadvasa has a total of 1,875 voting individuals. Out of them, 1,415 people cast their vote. A science graduate, Satyesha is a lawyer by profession and does her legal practice in Ahmedabad. Speaking with The Indian Express, she said that she is an active member of CPI (M) and is a secretariat member of the party in Sabarkantha. She is also a permanent invitee to the party's state committee. She is also the state secretary of Students' Federation of India, the party's student wing, in Gujarat. On her priorities for her village, Satyesha said that the village roads and street lights are an issue for Vadvasa, which she would like to address as an immediate priority. She also wants to work on proper disposal of garbage in the village and for those people whose housing units have been sanctioned, but not given so far. In the long run, she wants to have a health centre, a library and a gymnasium in the village. 'Our village is around 1-1.5 km away from the national highway. The frequency of buses to reach the highway is less. So, I want to have 3-4 electric rickshaws, which can ferry people from the village to the highway,' Satyesha said. According to Satyesha, she has been doing activism on a number of public issues. She has helped a number of parents, who could not pay school fees of their children for some reason, in getting the fees waived. In the past, she protested in Himmatnagar against the Hathras incident of the murder of a Dalit girl. Besides, she has protested against the National Education Policy. She also protested with reference to demolition near Chartoda Kabrastan in Gomtipur area of Ahmedabad. According to Satyesha, Vadvasa village was awaiting election since 2020 owing to the pending issue of fixing of OBC reservation in local bodies by a judicial commission. Since 2020, the village affairs were being handled by an administrator. Responding to Satyesha's election as Sarpanch, State Secretary of CPI (M) in Gujarat Hitendra Bhatt said, 'Our party is working for people. Ours is not an election oriented party. But in parliamentary democracy one has to go for elections if one wants to work for good. I am very happy with Satyesha's election. She is very active and I am sure that she will be successful Sarpanch.'
Indian Express
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
CM Bhupendra Patel releases book on kingdom of Patidars in Ahmedabad
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Sunday released 'Sonani Hatdi — the proud kingdom of Patidars', a book on the 750 years of genealogy of the royal courts of Patdi, at Vishv Umiyadham in Ahmedabad. 'The freedom struggle started with the non-cooperation movement, while today's time is of prosperity through cooperation. The development of a society where people are united with each other through cooperation, sympathy and mutual trust, continues to move forward,' he said. CM Patel said there is strength in unity, adding that when people work together, the biggest tasks can be done easily as collective strength is more impressive than individual strength. 'Gujarat is making progress in every field today due to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For this, the Prime Minister has given priority to matters ranging from cleanliness to semiconductors and green energy,' he said. Talking about the nine resolutions by the Prime Minister, Patel said that the former has already started campaigns to tackle the challenges ahead in the future. 'We have to keep our heritage alive along with the development of the country by making cleanliness a habit. He had asked to increase the green cover through campaigns like 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' to defeat the challenge of global warming and to develop the habit of water conservation in the future generation through campaigns like 'Catch the Rain',' he added. President of Vishv Umiya Foundation, RP Patel, said that at the time of Independence, there was only one indigenous kingdom of Patidar community in Patdi. 'Today, everything from ploughs to helicopters is being built by the people of this community. Temples are centres of power.'
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Battle lines drawn for Visavadar, Kadi assembly bypolls
Gandhinagar: With Monday as the last day to file nominations for the Visavadar and Kadi assembly bypolls, battle lines have been drawn for the June 19 contest in Gujarat. The Visavadar seat will witness a triangular fight between three Patidars nominated by the BJP, Congress and AAP in the Patidar-dominated constituency. The SC-reserved Kadi byelection will also witness a three-way contest between the BJP, Congress and AAP. Bypolls were necessitated in these two assembly constituencies after Bhupendra Bhayani of AAP resigned and joined the BJP, while sitting Kadi MLA Karshan Solanki of the BJP passed away this year. A three-way contest between Patidar candidates is on the cards for the Visavadar seat, as the BJP nominated Kanti Patel, chairman of the Junagadh district central cooperative bank (DCCB), Congress nominated Nitin Patel (Ranpariya), Bhesan taluka president of the party, and AAP nominated former state unit president Gopal Italia as its candidate. The BJP last won the Visavadar seat in 2007. In 2012, former Gujarat CM Keshubhai Patel won the seat on a GPP ticket; in 2017, Harshad Ribadiya of the Congress won; and in 2022, Bhupendra Bhayani of AAP won the seat. For the Kadi seat, the BJP nominated Rajendrakumar Chavda, who has held various posts in the Mehsana district unit of the party, while the Congress nominated Ramesh Chavda, a former MLA who won the seat in the 2012 assembly election. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Here's A List Of Cheapest Steel Suppliers (See List) Steel Suppliers | search ads Search Now Undo Jagdish Chavda, a local leader, has been fielded by AAP from the seat. The BJP held the seat in the 2022 and 2017 assembly elections. Ramesh Chavda of the Congress won the seat in 2012. All the candidates of the major political parties filed their nomination papers on Monday. The BJP has 161 MLAs in the 182-member assembly, the Congress has 12, AAP has four, Samajwadi Party has one, and two MLAs are independents.
