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Ahmedabad, Oct 23: The battle for Gujarat is turning out to be a high voltage fight with several leaders switching parties and coming out with explosive allegations. Nikhil Sawani, another former Hardik Patel who had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has quit the party ahead of announcement of election dates. Sawani has praised Narendra Patel, who alleged bribery by the BJP.
“I heard about Rs 1 crore offer by BJP to Narendra Patel, I’m upset. Leaving BJP today. I congratulate Narendra Patel. He comes from a small family but still he didn’t choose Rs 1 crore. The BJP wants to buy the Patidar family,” Sawani said on Monday.
He added that he had joined the BJP because he was assured of some “good decisions” being taken by the party. “But no such decisions have been taken so far,” he said. “I wasn’t offered money to join BJP. Now I resigned because they are just offering lollipop, fulfilling nothing,” Nikhil Sawani added.
This comes as a jolt to the BJP not just because Sawani is the second leader to have alleged bribery, but also because he has indicated joining the Congress. Sawani said, “I am willing to meet Rahul Gandhi if he wants to meet.”
Narendra Patel, a prominent Patidar leader, has alleged that he was offered Rs 1 crore to join the BJP. At a press conference in Ahmedabad, Patel showed Rs 10 lakh , the money that was allegedly given to him as token for joining the party.
He alleged that this money was paid to him by two Patidar leaders, Varun and Reshma Patel, who had joined the BJP. “I am from the patidar community and will never betray my people. BJP is trying to buy me by offering money. But I want to make it clear that Narendra Patel is not for sale, I cannot be bought. I have offered the token money of Rs 10 lakh to those killed in Mehsana during the patidar agitation,” he said.
On Saturday, Patidar leaders Reshma Patel and Varun Patel announced their decision of joining the BJP following their meeting with party Chief Amit Shah. Varun and Reshma Patel, who were close aides of PAAS leader Hardik Patel, had switched sides to the BJP a day before PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Gujarat. Both alleged that Hardik was an ‘agent’ of the Congress.
The move came after Congress state unit chief Bharatsinh Solanki asked Hardik Patel to join forces with his party against the BJP in the impending elections.
The Election Commission is likely to announce the dates for the crucial Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017 today. Reports say that the announcement may take place by this evening, even as there is no official confirmation on the same.
Earlier on October 12, the Election Commission had said that the Gujarat Assembly Elections would be held prior to December 18 while it announced the schedule for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections 2017.
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