Month after poll results, AAP revamps Gujarat unit, appoints Isudan Gadhvi as new state president

Gopal Italia, who held the position earlier, was appointed the national general secretary and co-incharge of Maharashtra state unit of the party.

Isudan Gadhvi was the party’s chief ministerial candidate in the Gujarat Assembly elections. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

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Around a month after the Gujarat Assembly results — in which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won five seats — were announced, the party Wednesday revamped its state unit, appointing Isudan Gadhvi as the state president replacing Gopal Italia.

Italia, on the other hand, was appointed the national general secretary and co-incharge of Maharashtra state unit of the party.

Italia had served the post of AAP Gujarat president for over two years since December 2020. He was the party’s candidate from Kataragam constituency in Surat district. He lost to BJP’s Vinod Moradiya.

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Gadhvi was AAP’s chief ministerial candidate in the Assembly elections. However, he lost the election from Khambhaliya constituency of Dwarka to BJP’s Mulu Bera. Gadhvi was also the national general secretary of the party since June 2022.

The AAP has also bifurcated the state party unit into six zones— Surat, South Gujarat, North Gujarat, Saurashtra, Central Gujarat and Kutch — and appointed working presidents for each zone.

Alpesh Kathiria has been appointed the working president for Surat Zone, Chaitar Vasava for the South Gujarat zone, Ramesh Patel for the north Gujarat zone, Jagmal Vala for the Saurashtra zone, Jewel Vasra for the central Gujarat zone and Kailash Gadhvi for Kutch zone.

Kathiria, who was the party candidate from the Varachha road constituency in Surat district, had lost to BJP’s Kishor Kanani. He had joined the party in late October 2022 along with other Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Dharmik Malaviya.

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Vasava got elected from the Dediapada seat in Narmada district of central Gujarat. He had joined AAP a few months prior to the assembly elections after leaving Bharatiya Tribal Party. Vasava was a close confidante of Chhotu Vasava, the BTP supremo.

Patel had served as the AAP president for Banaskantha district and was party candidate from Deesa. He, though, lost to BJP’s Pravinkumar Mali. Vala was AAP candidate from Somnath constituency. He lost to Congress’s Vimal Chudasama.

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Vasra was the party’s state secretary. Whereas, Kailash Gadhvi was the state treasurer. Kailash had joined AAP in April 2022 after resigning from the Congress party.

In Kataragama, Khambalia and Varachha constituencies AAP came in second position and in Somnath and Dessa at the third. Registering total 12.9 per cent vote share in the elections, AAP won five seats in the assembly — Dediapada, Botad, Visavadar, Jamjodhpur and Gariadhar.

The results made AAP eligible for national party status.

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