The political battle is heating up in Gujarat with the election dates just a few weeks away. AAP is challenging BJP at its home turf and is claiming a marginal victory while BJP is confident that it will retain power in the state.
However, both the parties have their eye on one of the strongest electoral sections of Gujarat, the Patidars. The OBC group which contributes to around 15 per cent of the electorate is being swayed by the prominent political parties in the state.
Taking these dynamics a notch higher, three prominent Patidar leaders joined the AAP on Sunday in the presence of Delhi chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann.
Who are these leaders?
Raju Solanki, who comes from the Koli Patel community joined AAP in Bhavnagar. The Koli Patel community has their stronghold in south Gujarat and Solanki himself hails from Saurashtra. He is also associated with the Koli Samaj’s Veer Mandhata group. It is speculated that AAP is eyeing on influencing the young Koli Patels by making Raju Solanki one of its Patidar faces.
Dharmik Malviya is another young face and was made head of Khodhaldham Trust Surat. The trust has prominence in Gujarat as it built the Khodiyar Mata temple at Kagwad in Saurashtra. Khodiyar Mata is the deity of the ‘Leuva Patidar’. A subcaste of the Patidar community. Malviya was a close aide to the influential leader and Trust head Naresh Patel. Malviya was also one of the leaders at the forefront of the Patidar agitation.
Alpesh Kathiriya also joined the AAP at Gariyadhar. Kathiriya who had also emerged as a leader after the ‘Patidar’ andolan was only second to Hardik Patel in terms of popularity.
However, Hardik patel who joined BJP in June, is now Kathiriya’s political rival.