Gujarat Assembly elections: Upset at father not getting poll ticket, Congress man throws ink on ex-Union minister Bharatsinh Solanki

A Congress worker upset over his father being denied a ticket for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections allegedly threw black ink on senior party leader and former Union minister Bharatsinh Solanki outside the party headquarters on Sunday, police said. Solanki was leaving 'Rajiv Bhavan', the Congress headquarters, after attending a press conference when the incident happened, leaving his clothes stained, police officials and party functionaries said.

"The person who threw black ink on Solanki was also a Congress member and was unhappy because his father was denied a ticket from Ellisbridge Assembly seat (in Ahmedabad)," Inspector B G Chetariya of Ellisbridge police station said.

"Policemen present at the spot recorded his statement. Solanki did not file a complaint saying the person who threw ink on him belonged to his party," Chetariya added.


As per the statement of the party worker Romin Suthar, he was unhappy because his father Rashmikant Suthar was denied a ticket for Ellisbridge Assembly constituency, he said, adding that the man was allowed to go later.

A party functionary said the incident occurred when Solanki was leaving the Congress office after attending a press conference, and the ink left his clothes stained.

Solanki was a two-time Member of Parliament from Anand Lok Sabha constituency, and had also served as the Gujarat Congress president between 2015 and 2018. In the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, he was the Minister of State for Power, Railway, Drinking Water and Sanitation.

On November 4, opposition Congress had announced its first list of 43 candidates for the Gujarat Assembly elections.

The party has fielded Bhikhu Dave from Ellisbridge seat in Ahmedabad city. The seat was won by BJP's Rajesh Shah in the 2017 polls.

The elections for 182 seats of the Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5, and the counting of votes will be conducted on December 8.