Gujarat elections : Hardik Patel’s Rajkot rally cancelled, cloud over alliance with Congress

In an indication that all is not well between the Congress and Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), Patidar leader Hardik Patel cancelled on Monday a rally in Rajkot, where he was expected to make an announcement whether or not his outfit would extend support to the opposition party in the Gujarat assembly elections.

Though the two sides claimed to have reached a deal, the official announcement about the reservation formula and the PAAS’s stand on supporting the Congress was expected to come from Patel at a public gathering in Rajkot on



Monday.

But trouble hit both the camps with Patidar supporters vandalising the Congress office in Surat hours after the Congress released its first list for candidates accommodating just three PAAS names. The Congress’ first list of 77 candidates, announced on Sunday, include 20 Patidars.

Out of power for more than two decades, the Congress is aiming to wrest power from the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state with the help of caste leaders such as Patel and Jignesh Mevani.