Keeping options open: Faisal Patel, son of Ahmed Patel, ahead of Gujarat polls

By Team Newsable | First Published Apr 5, 2022, 3:28 PM IST

Faisal Patel (41) had recently confirmed that he was undecided about formally joining the Congress.

Congress leader Ahmed Patel's son Faisal Patel on Tuesday hinted that he might be on his way out.

Ahmed Patel was a close aide of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her political secretary, who died in 2020. His son, Faisal Patel (41), had recently confirmed that he was undecided about formally joining the Congress.

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He tweeted that he is tired of waiting and keeps his options open.

Tired of waiting around. No encouragement from the top brass. Keeping my options open

— Faisal Patel (@mfaisalpatel)

His tweet sparked speculation that Faisal Patel would make his political debut in a different party ahead of elections in Gujarat, his home state, later this year.

He tweeted that from April 1, he will be touring the seven Assembly seats of the Bharuch and Narmada districts. His team will assess the present political situation and will make major changes if required to accomplish their goal of winning seven seats. He tweeted on March 27.

He recently met Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal, which intensified speculation about him joining AAP. The AAP has been making inroads in Gujarat. Ahmed Patel, a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat, was a troubleshooter for the Congress and a confidante of the Gandhi family. He died due to Covid-related complications.

Now his son Faisal's tweet reflects the general dissatisfaction and drifts in the party, which has worsened due to successive election defeats.

Many leaders, including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada, Ashwani Kumar and RPN Singh, have exited the party in the last two years.

The party is concerned about more exits following its recent election defeats in five states. There are already reports of dissatisfaction in the Congress' Gujarat unit.

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