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Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Future generation won't forgive us': Paatil warns voters of Visavadar against voting for any party
Urging the voters to not 'repeat their mistakes', Union minister and Gujarat BJP president C R Paatil, on Monday, called upon the party workers and people of Visavadar assembly constituency to make the BJP candidate victorious otherwise the 'future generation won't forgive us'. Paatil made these remarks while campaigning for the by-election of Visavadar Assembly constituency of Saurashtra. The seat has fallen vacant following the resignation of AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani who later joined the BJP. Addressing a gathering of party workers in Visavadar constituency, Paatil said, 'This time there should not be any mistake. We have to look after the future generation as well. Future generation won't forgive us (saying) that 'you have made mistakes repeatedly'. Correct your (past) mistakes this time. Resolve to make BJP candidate Kirit Patel victorious this time to keep the voters of Visavadar and their future generation in front of the road of development.' Kirit Patel, a former Junagadh district president of BJP and a cooperative leader, is BJP candidate for the by-election. Kirit Patel is facing a challenge from AAP's Gopal Italia and Congress candidate Nitin Ranpariya. Paatil said, 'Entire country is developing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Entire world is impressed by him. Only Visavadar is facing hurdles in its development. Forget the mistake. You might have done experiments which have failed. Doesn't matter. But (make sure that) this time there is no mistake committed'. 'There is a need to make the BJP candidate victorious to keep Visavadar in leading position… on the path of development in the country and for the development which is needed for the future generation of Visavadar,' he said. BJP has not won the Visavadar constituency for the past several years and Paatil called upon the party workers to win it this time. 'BJP has never learnt to lose. And it has also not learnt to leave a constituency if it loses it,' Paatil said. Without taking any name, during his speech, Paatil asked people not to get misled by certain people who spread misconceptions. Voting for the by-election is scheduled on June 19. After the Pahalgam attack the entire country believed and expected 'kuch bada karna chahiye', 'kuch bada hona chahiye', Paatil said later in the day even as he mentioned that 'not a single soldier was harmed and everyone returned safely' while campaigning for the by-election in Mehsana district's Kadi Assembly constituency. He made these remarks while campaigning for Rajendra Chavda, the party candidate from Kadi for the June 19 by-election. Referring to the Operation Sindoor, Paatil said, 'Under Modi's leadership, not only the country but the world knew that kuch bada hoga. Operation Sindoor was a revenge of the Pahalgam attack.' 'As decided by PM Modi, (the missile attack was carried out) five hours for the first time, two-and-a-half hours for second time and 30 minutes for the third time but within 23 minutes nine locations of the terrorists were attacked and finished and the terrorists were killed. Not a single soldier was harmed and everyone returned safely. This is Modi's power, this is India's power, everyone's power and the country wants to strengthen this power,' Paatil said. Appealing to the voters in Kadi to 'create a record' with high number of votes for Rajendra Chavda, Paatl said that for Kadi election the issue is not of development but 'to make BJP candidate win by a record number'. 'Today such an environment is created in the entire country after Operation Sindoor that every voter wants to strengthen Modi's hands. They were confident that Modi hai toh mumkin hai. During the surgical strike within three hours more than 300 terrorists were killed by our soldiers who returned safely,' Paatil added.


Hans India
a day ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Even in defeat, we don't abandon people: Gujarat BJP chief ahead of Assembly bypolls
With nearly over a week left for the upcoming Visavadar Assembly by-election, the Gujarat BJP unit has gone into action mode, treating the triangular political contest as a matter of prestige. In a campaign event held on Monday, Gujarat BJP President and Union Jal Shakti Minister, C.R. Paatil, addressed a gathering of party workers and local leaders at Bhesan in Junagadh district, declaring that the BJP "has never learned to lose, and even when defeated, it doesn't abandon its ground". Attacking both the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Paatil warned voters not to fall for the "delusions and provocations" of parties that, according to him, "have no base in Gujarat" and lost deposits on 136 seats in the 2022 Assembly election. "Those who came from Delhi and claimed they would form the government had their deposits forfeited by Gujarat's voters," he said, pointing to the BJP's dominant win in 156 Assembly constituencies in 2022 state election. Reminding the people at the gathering that although Visavadar voters may have "experimented" in the 2022 Assembly election, this time there should be no mistakes, Paatil urged, noting that the Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel himself came to file nomination papers with BJP candidate Kirit Patel -- "a sign of the state leadership's commitment to Visavadar's progress". Kirit Patel, the BJP's candidate in the upcoming bypoll, also addressed the gathering, highlighting his long-standing connection with Visavadar, Bhesan and Junagadh. "I have worked in this region for 16 years, assisting with education, health and resolving civic issues. During crises like Covid-19, I stood by the people," he said. Patel also alleged a conspiracy by Opposition candidates "brought in from outside" and claimed they were spreading misinformation and misleading voters. "These are not development-focused people. They only incite and provoke," he said, contrasting it with what he described as the BJP's platform of "development and trust". A total of 16 candidates are contesting the Visavadar seat, 12 of whom, Patel claimed, have no real ties to the region. "Visavadar does not need outsiders," he emphasised. The rally was also attended by several top BJP leaders, including MPs, Ministers, and MLAs -- Raghavji Patel, Kunvarji Bavaliya, Mulubhai Bera, Mukesh Patel, Rajesh Chudasama, Jayesh Radadiya, and others. The upcoming by-elections for the Visavadar and Kadi Assembly constituencies in Gujarat, scheduled for June 19, have emerged as politically significant contests for all three major parties -- the BJP, Congress and the AAP. The Visavadar seat fell vacant after BJP MLA Harshad Ribadiya resigned and joined the Congress ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections, only to return to the BJP recently. Meanwhile, the Kadi Assembly seat became vacant following the resignation of Congress MLA Karshan Solanki, who also joined the BJP.


India Gazette
5 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
AAP files complaint with Election Commission against BJP Visavadar candidate Kirit Patel
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 6 (ANI): In a press conference, State President of the Aam Aadmi Party's Legal Cell, Pranav Thakkar, raised serious concerns about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate in Visavadar, Kirit Patel, as per a release. Thakkar has alleged that candidate Kirit Patel had deliberately removed paragraph 8.2 from the Form 26 affidavit, thereby concealing crucial information. A complaint was initially submitted to the Returning Officer, but due to an unsatisfactory response, the Aam Aadmi Party has now formally approached the Election Commission of India. Thakkar further stated that election officials appear to be functioning under pressure from the BJP. 'Despite this, we are prepared to fight this battle legally at every level,' he said. He also revealed that the BJP candidate owns a Fortuner vehicle, which is registered in his name as confirmed by the RTO. However, this vehicle has not been disclosed in the election affidavit, which is a serious violation. Referring to precedents set by the Supreme Court, Thakkar emphasised that hiding assets can lead to disqualification, even after winning an election. The party has filed a separate complaint with the Election Commission regarding this concealment and will also lodge a local-level complaint against Kirit Patel. Additionally, Thakkar pointed out the misuse of a government vehicle--Mahindra Bolero (GJ 11 VV 4613)--during CM Bhupendra Patel's visit to Visavadar. 'No candidate is allowed to use government vehicles for campaigning. This, too, is a violation, and we have filed a complaint with the Election Commission,' he said. Addressing the people of Visavadar, Pranav Thakkar said, 'Do not waste your vote on Kirit Patel. His nomination is bound to be rejected, or he will eventually be disqualified. Visavadar would then be left without proper representation.' He urged voters to support AAP's candidate Gopal Italia, calling him a capable and strong representative for the region. Meanwhile, in another case related to AAP and BJP, the convenor Arvind Kejriwal on June 4 alleged that the BJP had announced it's support for the Congress in the upcoming Punjab bye-polls, citing a video of a BJP press conference, shared by senior spokesperson of AAP Punjab, Neel Garg. (ANI)