The Patidar leader from Gujarat, Hardik Patel on Wednesday has declared that he will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The announcement came at a rally he was addressing in Lucknow. Hardik Patel is on a two-day rally in Rajasthan after touring Uttar Pradesh.
Though it is not clear if Hardik is going to contest the elections from a political party or as an independent candidate. Hardik might contest the Lok Sabha polls from Amreli in Gujarat. Hardik has also exhorted people to unite to fight against the BJP. Congress may support him by not fielding any candidate against him. Earlier too, Congress had expressed its support for the Patidar leader if he wished to contest Lok Sabha polls.
The opposition Congress has reportedly offered two seats, Mehsana and Amreli, to Hardik. But as there is a ban on his entry in Mehsana because of the criminal case against him, he will choose Amreli to fight the elections.
Hardik was convicted for riots and arson in Mehsana during the violent Patidar protests in 2015. He is currently out on bail and one of his bail conditions prohibits him from entering into the Mehsana district limits.
Hardik Patel had in 2017 said that he would contemplate about contesting the elections in the next two or three years. In 2014, he wasn’t technically eligible to contest the elections.
The Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki had declared in October 2017 that Congress would offer Hardik a ticket if he chooses to fight elections.
