Modi agent: Workers disown Devdiwala

Raising anti-Devdiwala slogans, the Congressmen alleged that he was an agent of Narendra Modi.

Jamalpur ward president Yusuf Bisora, however, says there is no point in opposing Devdiwala if the high command has made up its mind. ‘‘We have not been consulted over this issue at any stage,’’ he added.

He said the decks were clear for Devdiwala’s entry, but if that does not happen, there were candidates in the party like Sabir Kabli who could be fielded. But if Kabli comes into the picture, a sharp division in minority votes may go in favour of BJP, which is likely to field a Dalit candidate here. ‘‘The Congress wants to avoid this,’’ said Bisora.

In Dariapur-Kazipur, city Congress president Raj Kumar Gupta is the frontrunner. Pitted against him is Surendra Rajput, a staunch Madhavsinh Solanki loyalist. A ward president here said Gupta was the right choice because Rajput had lost in the previous election. ‘‘But who cares for local sentiments in the high command? They go by what observers say,’’ he said.

Jitubhai Shah is the favourite for Shahpur ticket, despite losing twice in the past, due to his rapport with Solanki. While BJP has repeated its twice-winning candidate Kaushik Patel here, the Congress wants to repeat twice-loser Jitubhai Shah.

Supporters of J.V. Momin, another Shahpur contender, say that the ticket should go to Momin or it would send a wrong signal to the minority community, which comprise 42 per cent of the constituency.

Congress has been forced to do a rethink in Maninagar after the BJP fielded Narendra Modi here. Yatin Oza is being considered at present. Meanwhile, Sarkhej is witness to a tug of war between Narhari Amin, protege of Himanshu Patel, and Ravji Patel.