Mitesh Patel, 54, who has got the BJP ticket to fight the Anand Lok Sabha seat against former Union minister and former Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki, has declared only one case against him, which is of the 2002 riots, where he was accused of arson and rioting. According to Patel's affidavit, he was charged for arson and rioting in 2002 in Vasad police station. He was acquitted of the charges in 2010. An appeal against his acquittal was filed by the Gujarat government in 2011, which is pending in the Gujarat High Court. He was accused under IPC sections 147 (Punishment for rioting) 149 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 436 (Mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house), 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 337 (Causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 143 (unlawful assembly), 380 (theft). Patel, a native of Vasad, is fighting his first big election. He is treasurer of the BJP's Anand district unit. He is also the Chairman and Managing Director of Laxmi Protein Products Pvt Ltd. He is the convener of Gujarat Dal Utpadak Mandal and state representative of Pulse and Export Manufacturing Association of India. He is an ex-committee member of the Gujarat state BJP. He also serves as the government-nominated syndicate member of Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar.
