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After the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the Congress for a final decision on the quota formula, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee President Bharat Singh Solanki said on Sunday that an agreement had been reached on the deadlocked issues.
“Jahan par baat atki hui thi pichli meeting se, un baaton par humare beech samjhauta aur sehmati hui hai (The talks on which there was a deadlock in the last meeting has been sorted and we have reached an agreement,” Solanki said after meeting with PAAS leaders in Ahmedabad.
The Congress leader, however, maintained that neither the Hardik Patel-led outfit, nor Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani had demanded any tickets for the upcoming elections, which will be held in two phases on December 9 and 14. “PAAS has not demanded any tickets, neither Alpesh Thakor nor Jignesh Mevani. But, Congress will give PAAS tickets in the interest of the party” he said.
However, after the meeting, PAAS leader Dinesh Bambhaniya said Hardik would make an announcement in this regard in Rajkot on Monday. “Our first and last concern is reservation. Hardik Patel will make an announcement from Rajkot on Monday,” Bambhaniya said.
Representatives of PAAS has been holding meetings with Solanki and election in-charge Ashok Gehlot. While the Congress officially claims PAAS has not sought any tickets, sources said talks were on with the outfit for fielding mutually acceptable candidates, including some PAAS leaders, in about 25 seats. Sources said disputes arose because some alliance parties and pressure groups are demanding the same seats.
Solanki also said he would not contest the polls, even though he did not rule himself out of the CM race. “I have declared it earlier and I am declaring it today as well that I will not fight Gujarat assembly elections. It is the discretion of the party high command to decide the chief minister,” PTI quoted Solanki as saying.
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The state Congress chief, however, dismissed reports that he was not happy with the party high command over the selection of candidates. The Congress is yet to release its first list for the assembly polls, while BJP has already declared names of 106 out of 182 seats. The deadline for filing nominations for the first phase of polls, slated for December 9, ends on November 21.
“Some people started the campaign against me that I am not happy with the party high command and had left the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting half way in Delhi (last week) to return to the state,” Solanki said, adding, he returned to Gujarat as he had some important election work at hand.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
