Former Congress leader Hardik Patel to join BJP on June 2

Gujarat: Hardik Patel, a former working president of the Gujarat Congress and a Patidar politician, will join the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on June 2. Patel's decision to join the BJP mere days after leaving the Congress is significant since it occurs so close to the Gujarat Assembly elections. By the end of the year, the western state will have elections.

Since jumping ship from the Congress on May 18, speculation has been widespread about Patel joining the BJP or the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). In his farewell remarks, the 28-year-old congressman chastised the Congress leadership for not taking the surveys seriously.

"It is confirmed that Hardik Patel will join the BJP on June 2 in the presence of state president C R Paatil," BJP's state spokesperson Yagnesh Dave said.

Hardik Patel rose to prominence after leading the Patidar quota protests in 2015. Despite his public commitment not to pursue politics, Hardik joined the Congress in 2019. In July 2020, he was named functioning president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC).

Patel claimed that the grand old party has no direction for the state where it has been out of power since 1995 after withdrawing from Congress. He claimed that during Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to launch the party's election campaign, top party leaders were distracted by their phones and were more concerned in arranging chicken sandwiches.

The ruling BJP is hoping that Patel's victory would strengthen its position in Gujarat, where it has won every election since 1995. Patel was formerly a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

The Patidars account for about a sixth of Gujarat's population of 6.5 million people. Securing Patidar support is critical for any political party hoping to win elections, as a shift in their stance can sway the outcome.