Hardik Patel resigned from Congress in May 2022. (File)
With less than a month to go for the Gujarat elections, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is gearing up to protect what's been its bastion for 27 years. The state polls will take place in two phases on December 1 and 5, while the votes will be counted on December 8. One of BJP's headline candidates in these polls is Hardik Patel.
The Congress import will contest from Viramgram seat on a BJP ticket this time.
- Hardik Patel rose to prominence while leading the Patidar agitation for quota in 2015. He headed the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) as part of the movement and was also a member of the Sardar Patel Group (SPG), a community social group in Gujarat.
- The Patidar leader joined the Congress in 2019, shortly before the Lok Sabha elections. He was made the working president of the Gujarat Congress in July 2020.
- Hardik Patel resigned from Congress in May 2022 after dropping the party's name and symbol from his Twitter bio. He had complained of being sidelined by Congress and its top leaders in Gujarat.
- Days after quitting Congress, Hardik Patel joined the BJP. He was formally inducted into the party ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections.
- This will be first time Hardik Patel will contest assembly polls in Gujarat. He could not contest in 2017 Gujarat elections as he did not meet the minimum age criterion of 25. Hardik Patel had planned to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Gujarat's Jamnagar seat but could not as the Gujarat High Court refused to put a stay on his conviction in a 2015 rioting case.