Ahmedabad, 30 November 2012

Former Deputy Chief Minister and one of the top Gujarat Congress leaders Narhari Amin is unhappy with the party and has expressed his anger openly before media yesterday evening. Narhari is unhappy because Rahul Gandhi has reportedly used his Veto against ticket to those who lost the election more than once in past.

Narhari Amin is victim of BJP’s dominance in urban Gujarat.

Originally a student leader, and later Municipal Councillor, Narhari Amin built his state-level career from Amdavad’s Sabarmati assembly seat. When Amin’s Guru Chimanbhai Patel’s Janata Dal and BJP had seat sharing adjustment in place in 1990 assembly polls, Amin easily won the poll from Sabarmati. But later on Chimanbhai’s Janata Dal Gujarat merged with Congress. Having an image of corrupt and pro-gangesters deputy chief minister, Amin couldn’t win Sabarmati seat again on Congress ticket.

When Gujarat BJP was in its worst stage under Keshubhai Patel and Sanjay Joshi, BJP lost many polls including majority of district and taluka panchayat polls, Sabarkantha Lok Sabha seat and also Sabarmati seat by-poll. Amin could re-enter the assembly by winning Sabarmati by-poll.

But after Modi’s arrival, BJP regained its strength in urban Gujarat and Amin again tasted defeat on Sabarmati seat. Lastly Amin changed his seat and fought from rural Matar seat. But here also he couldn’t win. Amin kept himself busy with Gujarat Cricket Association, but Amit Shah and team snatched away this pleasure and defeated him in GCA election. Only place left for Amin was party office and Gujarat University.

Now this time, in 2012 assembly polls, Amin was all set to fight form a seat in Gandhinagar. He had started exploring villages of Gandhinagar for low profile start of campaign. Anticipating Amin’s candidature, Gandhinagar’s Mayor and Congress leader Rana first wrote a letter to state Congress leader and later resigned and joined the BJP with a few more councillors. Thus Congress lost majority in Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation. Later on there was a rally of local Congress workers in Gandhinagar demanding that no outsider would be permitted to contest from Gandhinagar on Congress ticket. Last evening when Amin was finally denied party ticket, dozens of his supporters visited his bungalow. At least three candidates of Congress said they would not contest the poll in Amin’s support. Amin in TV interviews said he would not contest the election. He said he would take proper decision on his political future after consulting his supporters.

Amin belongs to late Chimanbhai Patel’s Janata Dal fraction of Gujarat Congress. Former Gujarat Congress President Siddharth Patel, Urmilaben Patel, Naran Rathwa, Dinsha Patel etc belong to this fraction.

Amin is considered good person in one-to-one talk. He is media friendly and influenced by BAPS Swaminarayan. He has leadership skills, but he is not good orator. His bad image of Chimanbhai Patel era is somewhat forgotten now. He has extra feelings for Patels. Till the time, urban Gujarat continue to follow BJP, he has little or no chance to win Sabarmati again. The problem is that he is a leader without constituency, and Gujarat has no provision of Vidhan Parishad. (Amin is not the only non-BJP politician whose career has suffered due to strong urban dominance of rival BJP. There are many other Congress leaders who literally vanished from horizon because they were Congress men from cities. Yes Muslims, a few Dalits, and rare like Shaktisinh Gohil managed to win Urban seats.)