"I share your disappointment...": Mumtaz Patel apologises after Bharuch seat slips away from Congress

Following the allocation of the Bharuch seat, a historical stronghold for the Congress, to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Mumtaz Patel, the daughter of the late Congress leader Ahmed Patel, shared her sentiments on the recent seat-sharing agreement between the Congress and AAP for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Gujarat.

Mumtaz Patel wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Deeply apologise to our district cadre for not being able to secure the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in alliance. I share your disappointment,"

"Together, we will regroup to make Congress stronger. We won't let Ahmed Patel's 45 years of legacy go in vain. #bharuchkibeti (sic)," said Patel in her post on X.



Meanwhile, Ahmed Patel's son Faisal said that neither he nor the party workers are pleased with the decision. Despite their reservations, he expressed a willingness to comply with the high command's decision, stating, "I am going to Congress and I will speak with the high command once again. There is a lot of time to file nominations as well as for elections...Gandhi family is my family too. I am of the firm belief that they will understand the emotions of the Patel family attached to this seat."


The Bharuch seat has been held by the BJP for seven consecutive terms, making it a crucial battleground for opposition parties. There were earlier speculations that either Faisal Patel or Mumtaz Patel, children of Ahmed Patel, would be fielded by the Congress to challenge the BJP's dominance. But on Saturday, Bharuch seat, a traditional stronghold for the Congress, slipped into the hands of AAP.

The Congress and AAP sealed a seat-sharing deal for several states, including Gujarat, as they aim to present a united front against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Negotiations over seat-sharing have posed significant challenges for the opposition INDIA bloc, as regional parties assert their influence and vie for a more substantial share. The recent electoral setbacks in three heartland states have emboldened regional powers, further complicating the seat-sharing talks among opposition parties.