‘Differences resolved’, BJP re-inducts ex-MLA as race for Bharuch seat hots up

“I have erred and made mistakes but we have seeds of the BJP. We did not consider joining anyone else (political party). There were differences locally and we have resolved the issues now… I was the party’s Tribal Morcha President and I am aware that the four tribal Lok Sabha seats are important… We will put all our strength in winning the four seats of the tribal belt for the BJP by a margin of more than five lakh votes,” he said.

The event also saw other rebel BJP leaders from Narmada and Bharuch districts also return to the party ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Harshad was flanked by Bharuch PM Mansukh Vasava as he rejoined the saffron party.

Although Mansukh has retained the Bharuch seat for six terms, the party has reinducted the rebel leaders considering the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that has declared Dediapada MLA Chaitar Vasava as its candidate from the seat.

Speaking of Chaitar, Harshad said, “Chaitar is a shrewd person. In order to prop up his personality, he misled the people (in reference to the case filed against Chaitar in Dediapada). If you commit a crime, you cannot escape the law. You have to bear the consequences of breaking the law.”

Harshad was a two-term MLA from the then-Rajpipla Assembly seat in Narmada in 2002 and 2007. The seat was later dissolved to create the Nandod Assembly constituency.

In November 2022, Harshad filed his independent nomination from Nandod after refusing to reconcile with the party for being denied a ticket. Although Harshad’s rebellion caused a dent in the vote share of the parties contesting from the seat, it could not stop BJP’s Darshana Deshmukh from winning the constituency securing 70,543 votes. While Congress’s Haresh Vasava came second with 42,341 votes, Harshad bagged 35,364 votes at the third spot.

“I had the opportunity to work (as an MLA) with Narendra Modiji when he was the chief minister of Gujarat… I have also been a member of the tribal committee and travelled extensively in the country… In the past 10 years (of the NDA government), the works undertaken in the entire tribal belt prove that they are under the able care of Modiji,” Harshad said.

Other leaders who returned to the party on Tuesday include former Narmada district president Ghanshyam Desai, Bharuch District Bank director and former Nandod APMC chairman Sunil Patel, former Rajpipla Municipality president Bharti Tadvi, former Taluka Panchayat members Jayanti Tadvi, Kiran Vasava, Kanchan Tadvi as well as leaders from Patan district.

Meanwhile, at the induction, Paatil attacked the Congress for skipping the Ram Mandir inauguration. Without naming the party, Paatil said, “Those who cannot belong to Ram can never belong to you (voters)… Many people did not go to the temple because they had filed affidavits in the courts stating that Ram did not exist… No Ram Setu was made… Therefore, they are getting brickbats from people”.

He stated that the newly inaugurated temple gets nearly five lakh visitors everyday. “If you want to go too, arrangements will be made. But the karsevaks, who suffered the lathis and took bullets of the Mulayam Singh Yadav government in 1990-91 have the first right to visit the temple. Thereafter, everyone’s travel will be arranged,” he said.

The Navsari MP also stated that “even foreigners are influenced by the blend of culture with development” encouraged by PM Modi.