Gujarat polls: Sitting MLA Ishwarsinh Patel to lock horns with brother from Ankleshwar

Soon after the candidature of Ishwarsinh Patel was announced, a large number of BJP workers and leaders reached his office and congratulated him for leading the party for the fifth consecutive term.

On Friday, the BJP workers and leaders burst fire crackers and distributed sweets to the people of the locality before taking Ishwarsinh to the election branch office at Ankleshwar town. The MLA waved hands from the car roof to the people who stood at the lobbies of their house and thanked them.

Ishwarsinh later handed over his nomination form at the election branch office in the presence of his family members and party workers.

Ishwarsinh Patel is younger to Vijaysinh Patel, and they belong to Kudadra village in Hansot taluka of Bharuch district. Their father the late Thakoresinh Patel was also the BJP MLA from Ankleshwar in 1990.

A Commerce graduate from Kusumben Arts and Commerce College in Ankleshwar, Ishwarsinh was active in VHP since his college days. He later joined BJP in 1989 and later became the BJP unit president of Bharuch district. He debuted in the assembly election in 2002 and defeated Congress candidate Patel Ranjitbhai Balubhai. Since then Ishwar went on to represent Ankleshwar in Gujarat assembly till 2017 and continued the political legacy of his father. He was made the State Co-operation, Sports, Youth and Cultural activities, and Transport Minister in the previous governments headed by Vijay Rupani and Anandiben Patel.

Ishwarsinh’s elder brother Vijaysinh also started political career in BJP in 1987 and got elected to the Ankleshwar taluka panchayat and later became the president. He also won the district panchayat election later. Vijaysinh raised his head and complained to the top authorities of the party over indifferences with the elected members of the taluka panchayat for rampant corruption. He quit the BJP on February 4, 2021 after the party leaders did not take any action, and sent his resignation to BJP president C R Paatil.

Vijaysinh was also the former chairman of Hansot Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC). He later joined the Congress and became an active member of the party. The Congress party had now fielded him against Ishwarsinh.

In the 2017 assembly elections, Ishwarsinh defeated Congress’ Anil Bhagat by a margin of over 46,000 votes.

The sitting BJP MLA told The Indian Express that in the 2007 elections, his uncle Patel Karsanbhai Gumanbhai was his rival candidate from the Congress party. “I was then the sitting MLA and I defeated my uncle with a margin of 25,000 votes. Now my elder brother is pitted against me and I am sure that I will win the election with a margin of over 75,000 votes,” said Ishwarsinh who claims not to be in talking terms with his brother ever since he parted ways with the BJP.

On the other hand, Vijaysinh said that he would genuinely contest the election against his brother and would work for the victory.

Gujarat Assembly elections are slated to be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. The votes will be counted on December 8.