AHMEDABAD: The political battleground in Gujarat is witnessing a renewed churn around the influential Patidar community, with multiple players vying for dominance in this electoral bloc.While the BJP continues to command a grip on the Patel vote bank, bolstered by its top leadership comprising influential Patidar figures, emerging challenges from the AAP and internal lobbying within the Congress are beginning to shift the political discourse.The AAP, under the leadership of Gopal Italia, has stepped up efforts to erode the BJP’s dominance in the Patidar belt. Though the Congress has failed to make a lasting dent in the BJP’s support among Patels, it is currently witnessing a power tussle within its own state unit. While its Patidar leaders are pushing for a Patel to be appointed as the new state Congress president, a counter-lobby led by the OBC bloc is pressing for an OBC leader to take charge.A political confrontation has turned Morbi into the epicentre of Gujarat’s electoral drama. The spark came when BJP MLA Kanti Amrutiya, during a public event, challenged AAP’s Gopal Italia to contest elections from his Morbi seat. Amrutiya vowed to resign from the assembly on Monday and even pledged Rs 2 crore to Italia if he managed to win.“If he has the support of the Patidar community, let him prove it in Morbi,” Amrutiya asserted. Vankaner BJP MLA Jitu Somani threw his weight behind Amrutiya’s challenge. “If Italia wins from Morbi, I will resign from my seat in Vankaner. Let him put in his papers on Monday and enter the ring,” Somani declared.Gopal Italia accepted the challenge in a video response. “If the BJP MLAs truly resign, I’m ready to contest. One must not go back on their word. I accept this challenge,” Italia expressed.
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