Hardik Patel won the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket from the Viramgam constituency by a margin of 51,707 votes. Amarsinh Anadaji Thakore of the Aam Aadmi Party was at the second spot, with sitting Congress MLA Lakha Bharwad at the third.
Patel, the national face of the Patidar movement ahead of the 2017 elections, jumped to BJP from the Congress just a few months ago.
Between the lines: Patel's win can be attributed to the following factors:
He was the national face that heralded the Patidar movement for reservation.
His track record of helping secure the reservation and standing up to the BJP.
His personal connect with the voters, having grown up in the constituency and being involved in activism for years.
Some of the challenges that Patel faced during the course of this election include:
Turning the tide against the Congress in Viramgam that has been held by the constituency since 2012
Diluting perceptions that he was opportunistic for joining the BJP
Bypassing the clout of Tejashree Patel, who lost to Congress' Lakhabhai Bharwad but managed to get over 37 percent votes in 2017
There are an estimated 3 lakh voters in Viramgam -- 65,000 Thakors (OBC), 50,000 Patidars, 35,000 Dalits, 20,000 Muslims and 20,000 from the Bharwad and Rabari castes (OBC), 18,000 Kolis (OBC) members, 10,000 Karadia Rajputs (OBC).
The Backstory: ln 2015, the Patidar community protested and demanded to be included in the OBC category.
These agitations were supported by the Sardar Patel Sevadal which later evolved into the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) for the purpose of the public demonstrations.
At the very forefront of this organisation stood Hardik Patel.
He organised rallies for the agitation and was later arrested on 25 August 2015 for the same. He continued to lead the protest until 2019.
Profile: Patel is a native of Chandranagar village in Viramgam taluka. He was born and raised in Viramgam town.
In 2012, Patel joined the Sardar Patel Group (SPG), a Patidar youth body, and in a month's time, became the president of its Viramgam unit. However, three years later, he was ousted from his post after a conflict with its leader, Lalji Patel.
Tryst with Politics: Interestingly, Patel had backed the Congress in the 2017 Gujarat legislative assembly election and in 2019 he joined the party. He was appointed the Working President of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, the state unit of the Indian National Congress (INC) in July 2020. On several occasions, he publicly voiced his grievances with the party and its high command over being sidelined ahead of the crucial Vidhan Sabha polls. In May 2016, he was expelled from the party for anti-party activities. Then, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had reached out to the disgruntled leader to sort out differences. But Patel had tendered his resignation.
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