'Won’t Let Father’s Legacy Go In Vain': Mumtaz Patel Unhappy With AAP Bagging Gujarat's Bharuch Seat

Hours after the seat-sharing announcement of Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Gujarat for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Mumtaz Patel, the daughter of late Congress leader Ahmed Patel, expressed disappointment over the AAP bagging the Bharuch seat.

Taking to microblogging site X (formerly Twitter) to express dissatisfaction, the Congress leader wrote, “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 Congress. We won’t let Ahmed Patel’s 45 years of Legacy go in vain. #bharuchkibeti”

According to sources, Rahul Gandhi had apparently spoken to Mumtaz’s brother, Faizal, and assured him that Bharuch would be theirs. Reacting to the seat-sharing formula, Faisal Patel said, “Hope Rahul Gandhi will re-think his decision.”

Later, speaking to the news agency ANI on the matter, Congress leader Mumtaz Patel said, “The talks are still on and the final decision is yet to be made. We had hopes that this seat would remain with Congress but when this information came people felt demoralised and sad. We have heard that Rahul Gandhi has also objected to the Bharuch seat being given to AAP. We are hopeful that this seat will remain with Congress. Traditionally, this is a Congress seat. They want an alliance because they want the support of Congress.”

The AAP will contest four Lok Sabha seats in Delhi and the Congress three, the parties said on Saturday as they announced their seat-sharing arrangements for the national capital, Gujarat, Goa, and Haryana. There are seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi and all were won by the BJP in the 2019 polls.

‘Move to erase Ahmed Patel’s legacy’: BJP reacts

BJP’s National Information and Technology Department In-charge, Amit Malviya, responded to Patel’s post on X and said Congress’ move was meant to erase Ahmed Patel’s legacy and humiliate his family.

He wrote, “In the Congress, one dynasty is more equal than the others. Everyone knows of the differences between late Ahmed Patel and Rahul Gandhi. Giving away Bharuch to AAP is Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to erase his legacy and humiliate the family. Gandhis believe in use and throw.”

Congress leader Mukul Wasnik announced that the AAP will contest the New Delhi, the West Delhi, the South Delhi and the East Delhi seats, while his party the Chandni Chowk, the Northeast Delhi and the Northwest Delhi seats. “In Gujarat, the AAP will contest from Bharuch and Bhavnagar, while the Congress will field its candidates from the remaining 24 seats in the state. In Haryana, the AAP will contest the Lok Sabha polls from Kurukshetra. The Congress will contest both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa,” he said. The Congress will also contest the lone seat in Chandigarh, Wasnik said.

The Bharuch seat has been held by the BJP for seven consecutive terms, establishing it as a pivotal battleground for opposition parties. There were ongoing speculations for months suggesting that either Faisal Patel or Mumtaz Patel, both children of Ahmed Patel, might be nominated by the Congress to contest against the BJP’s longstanding dominance.

The allocation of seats has not only left Mumtaz Patel and the local Congress cadre disappointed but has also sparked concerns within the party. Consequently, the AAP is set to compete in the Bharuch and Bhavnagar constituencies in Gujarat.