Members of the Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and Other Backward Class (OBC) leader Alpesh Thakor, who joined the Congress recently, have held meetings with top party leaders to decide on candidates as both groups are striving to get ticket for their members from the Congress.
On Friday, Dinesh Bambhania, Manoj Panara, Lalit Vasoya and Kirit Patel of the PAAS held meetings with senior Congress leaders, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel and national general secretary and Gujarat in-charge Ashok Gehlot.
“We have accepted the reservation formula suggested by the Congress leader and legal expert Kapil Sibal but a formal announcement will be made in the next few days,” a PAAS member from Delhi told The Hindu .
He said the Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel would make the announcement after the candidates were decided. The PAAS had demanded around a dozen Patidar-dominated seats in Saurashtra, and a few seats in north Gujarat. Mr. Thakor’s camp has demanded seats in the Thakor-dominated north Gujarat districts.
Sources said that Mr. Thakor would contest on the Congress ticket from a seat dominated by the Thakor community in north Gujarat.
