AAP-Congress alliance leaves Ahmed Patel's children unhappy – Here's why

livemint.com:

Ahmed Patel, considered Sonia Gandhi's most powerful aide until his death in 2020, had won Bharuch in 1980 and 1984. Since 1989, however, the seat has been with the BJP. Mansukhbhai Vasava of the BJP currently represents the seat.

Patel, and his family, draw considerable influence in the Bharuch region of Gujarat, even after his death. For months, speculation was rife that Congress might field either Mumtaz or her brother Faisal from Bharuch to end BJP's dominance and carry forward their father's legacy. Some reports suggested that Rahul Gandhi had apparently promised Faisal that someone from the family would contest from Bharuch.

“I am going to Congress and I will speak with the high command once again. There is a lot of time to file nominations as well as for elections... Gandhi's family is my family too...I am of the firm belief that they will understand the emotions of the Patel family attached to this seat…" Faisal said.

Some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, for obvious reasons, also jumped into the discussion. The party's IT cell in charge Amit Malviya, said the Congress wanted to erase Ahmed Patel’s legacy and humiliate his family. “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," he said in a post on X. The seat-sharing deal reinforces the Congress-AAP partnership forged through the INDIA grouping — an amalgamation of leading opposition parties — that will fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The two parties, that are rivals in Delhi and Punjab state elections, have not reached at any agreement for Lok Sabha polls in Punjab.