Surendranagar: Former Lok Sabha MP Soma Ganda Patel was hoping for BJP ticket for Surendranagar seat. However BJP was not-at-all interested in him, looking at his dubious record in the past. Once the BJP announced its candidate for Surendranagar seat, Soma Patel has started expressing his opposition to the candidate openly. Soma Patel now seeks Congress ticket and trying everything to make a ground before Congress could announce its candidate.

Soma Patel today called a meeting of Talpada Koli community protesting BJP’s decision to give ticket to Chuvaliya Koli community. Conventionally, BJP gives representation to all three sub communities of Koli community. BJP conventionally fields Ghediya Koli leader for Junagadh seat, Talpada Koli leader for Bhavnagar seat and Chuvaliya Koli leader for Surendranagar seat. The party has followed same tradition in upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

However Soma Patel belongs to Talpada Koli community and he has launched protest against party’s decision to field Chuvaliya Koli community leader on Surendranagar seat. Patel argues that there are more Talpada Koli community members than Chuvaliya in Surendranagar Lok Sabha constituency.

Soma Patel, a Talpada Koli contested Surendranagar Lok Sabha seat in 2014 and 2019 unsuccessfully. He lost against Chuvaliya Koli candidates by margin of over 2 lakh and 2.77 lakh in these both elections. Soma Patel’s gathering of Talpada Koli community today was attended by hardly 100 to 200 persons. DeshGujarat