Cong ignores Muslims’ demand

SURAT: It's for the first time in many years that Congress has literally ignored minority votebank by not accepting the community's demand for ticket to a minority candidate from Surat (east) constituency in the city.

Added to this is the fact that women cell of Surat city unit of Congress is unhappy with the leadership for ignoring them in ticket distribution. While BJP has two sitting women MLAs and they have been renominated as candidates from Limbayat and Choriyasi constituencies, Congress has not considered giving ticket to any woman.

Congress workers are also unhappy with the party for giving its mandate to former BJP councillor Dr Ravindra Paatil to contest as candidate from Limbayat seat.

A section of minority leaders in Congress wanted ticket from Surat (east) constituency, but that didn't happen. Instead, the party choose to give ticket to minority candidate Iqbal Patel from Surat (west) seat, which is a BJP bastion. The party's decision to field Iqbal Patel against BJP heavyweight Purnesh Modi came as a surprise to minority leaders in the city. The minority leaders believed that the party did not want to give ticket to minority leaders and at the last moment decided to field Iqbal Patel from Surat (west) seat.

A Congress leader from minority community said, "This was more like a joke to us. Had we been given ticket from Surat (east), things would have been different."

Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee screening panel member Kadir Peerzada, who was offered ticket to contest from Surat (east), suggested the party should look for some other suitable candidate.

Nitin Bharucha, a textile entrepreneur and former Congress councillor, has been given Congress ticket from Surat (east). He is pitted against BJP's Arvind Rana. This has not gone down well with minority workers.

Kadir Peerzada told TOI, "I was offered ticket from Surat (east), but I denied it due to personal reasons. The party gave ticket to a minority candidate from Surat (west) considering minority community's feelings. Now, it is our responsibility to ensure our candidate wins."

Asked about representation of women, Peerzada said, "Many things were considered before finalizing the names of the candidates. We have given ticket to a woman candidate Bhavana Patel in Navsari town."

by via Surat News, Latest Surat News Headlines & Live Updates - Times of India