Logjam over Botad seat between PAAS, Congress 

Logjam over Botad seat between PAAS, Congress 

Gandhinagar: Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Tuesday called off a press conference after differences cropped up between his Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and the Congress over the Botad assembly constituency. 

After a meeting with PAAS leaders and agreeing on the reservation demands, the Congress had hoped it had overcome the disagreements between the two sides. But PAAS remains unhappy. 

The Congress had to accommodate two more Patidar faces in its second list of candidates announced on Sunday. After that, Hardik Patel was to make a formal announcement regarding the community's support for the Congress in the Assembly elections. 

But trouble has erupted over Botad seat. The Congress has fielded Manhar Patel as its candidate. Manhar Patel is a rebel Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) member who defected to the Congress. 

PAAS members wanted their convener Dilip Sabwa to get the nomination. Tuesday is the last day for filing of nominations for the first phase of the Assembly elections due on December 9. 

PAAS Botad members have threatened to oppose Manhar Patel's nomination and to support the third front if the Congress doesn't drop him. 

According to informed sources, senior Congress leaders have rushed to Botad to pacify the Patidar leaders. 

Meanwhile, the BJP, which had announced 181 candidates for the 182 assembly seats, announced that Piyushbhai Desai will be the nominee for the Navsari seat in tribal dominated southern Gujarat. 

The tribal groups were demanding their representation from the saffron party but the BJP has not relented. 

Cong gives five seats to tribal leader's party 
Former JD(U) MLA Chhotubhai Vasava on Tuesday said his newly-formed Bhartiya Tribal Party has entered into a seat-sharing agreement with the Congress, and will contest from five places in the Gujarat Assembly polls. 

Vasava, a tribal leader and MLA from Jhagadia in Bharuch district, said the Congress has offered five seats to his party which he floated after a split in the JD(U). 

These seats are Jhagadia, Dediapada, Mangrol, Morva Hadaf and Waghodia, all reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. 
Besides, Vasava's close aide Anil Bhagat has been offered the Congress ticket from Ankleshwar, he said. 

"We will contest five seats with our party symbol, auto rickshaw," Vasava told PTI over phone. 

Candidates of his party have filed nominations for Jhagadia, Dediapada and Mangrol so far, he said. 

Vasava, then a JD(U) MLA, had supported senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel in the recently-held Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat. Patel won by a narrow margin. 

Vasava sided with the JD(U) faction led by Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Yadav who parted ways with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the latter's decision to join hands with the BJP to form government in Bihar. 
After the Election Commission denied the `arrow' symbol of the JD(U) to the Yadav-led faction, Vasava announced that his outfit will fight Gujarat polls on the auto rickshaw symbol in alliance with the Congress.

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