Mumtaz seeks to contest Lok Sabha election from stronghold of father Ahmed Patel

So far, Mumtaz Patel, who was expected to step into her father’s shoes last year during the state elections, has been in the observation mode. She revealed her party had asked her to contest the assembly election. “In fact, the party had asked me to contest the Vidhan Sabha elections but I still wanted to go to Lok Sabha. So we have been working slowly… but yes it will pick up steam now.”

On the constituency she plans to contest, Mumtaz said, “Bharuch has been my father’s constituency for over 45 years. He was a three-time Lok Sabha MP and he had also represented Gujarat from Rajya Sabha for more than six terms. So yes, Bharuch is home town for us. That is where we were born and I am hoping to contest from there. Hoping… because there is always possibility-impossibility for everything. But yes, Bharuch next year.”
Preparations are already on, she said. “I have already started preparing for that. In our home town Bharuch, my father had set up foundations and had launched initiatives in health and education. So we will be working on the ground there. Apart from that, I had campaigned in Vidhan Sabha elections too.”

On a drop in women’s representation in her party, especially in Gujarat, she said, “Be the change. I am pushing myself forward. Hopefully, more women will come through as the fight begins from within.”

Her father was against her entering into politics, Mumtaz recollected. It was his loss, however, which prompted her to take the plunge.

“We were surrounded by it (politics) and were really fascinated as children. We have seen Prime Ministers changing overnight. Interest was always there but initially, my father would keep us away from politics. We were allowed to interact with very few political families. So much so that a few years back, my father told me that some journalists were asking him if he had a daughter as they were unaware,” she shared.

“I told him clearly that I want to be a politician. He said: ‘Achha aap election ladoge? (Ok, so you will fight the election?) I said – ‘Kyun nahi (Why not?). He asked – ‘Parliament jaana hai aapko? (Do you want to go to Parliament?). And I replied: ‘Bilkul election jitungi, toh jaungi’ (Of course, once I win, I will go to Parliament). He said it was not easy for a woman. Whether it was a patriarchal mindset or a protective father but yes, to be fair, he said something similar to my brother,” Mumtaz further recollected at the event.
But destiny had it otherwise, she added.

“This (conversation) was during the pandemic… and we lost him two-three months later. Pressure then emerged of carrying forward the legacy. I think it was a lot of people who looked up to him and felt his loss. What is nepotism I understand now. It is not nepotism. They cling… especially the public cling on to a part of somebody they looked up to and they automatically expect that you will take that lead. And as much as I tried to keep that away, there were a lot of issues going on in the family, the loss of my father, and adjustments and changes in our lives… but interest kept building up and I realised despite how difficult it sounds probably the time has come. And here I am.”
During the talk when asked about the ‘gut feeling on the Lok Sabha elections’, Charu Pragya confidently predicted

“350 seats for BJP”. She, however, added: “Mumtaz will win from her constituency.” Charu also said that she would “say a prayer” for Mumtaz.

In addition to the initiatives her father had been working on in his constituency, Mumtaz said she would like to work for mental health for women and children.