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Journalism of Courage
Gujarat BJP president and Union minister C R Paatil suspended Mavjibhai Patel, who has rebelled against the party to contest the Vav Assembly bypoll as an independent candidate, and four others in Banaskantha district on Sunday.
The four others—Laljibhai Chaudhary (Patel), Devjibhai Patel, Dalrambhai Patel and Jamabhai Patel—were suspended for supporting Mavjibhai, a former MLA and director of Banas Bank. He has revolted against the BJP after being denied the party ticket for the bypoll necessitated by the resignation of the Congress’s Geniben Thakor after her election from the Banaskantha Lok Sabha constituency.
Laljibhai is a former chairman of Bhabhar Marketyard, Devjibhai is the director and a former chairman of the District Selling and Buying Federation, Dalrambhai is chairman of Bhabhar Marketyard, and Jamabhai is a former general secretary of the BJP’s Suigam taluka unit.
A BJP release stated that the five had been suspended from primary membership for engaging in “anti-party activities”.
However, speaking to The Indian Express, Laljibhai said, “There is no question of anti-party activity here. We had been associated with the party for years. And we demanded a party ticket (for the bypoll), which was not given. So we are openly supporting Mavjibhai.”
Voting will take place in Vav on November 13. With Mavjibhai Patel, the BJP’s Swarupji Thakor and the Congress’s Gulabsinh Rajput, a former MLA, in the fray, the constituency is witnessing a triangular contest.
The constituency has around 3.1 lakh votes, around 30 per cent of which are from the Thakor community, followed by 17 per cent Chaudhary-Patel votes and around 12 per cent votes Dalits.
All the five persons suspended from the BJP belong to the Chaudhary-Patel community.
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