‘Dad Was Bharuch’s Voice in Parliament, One Election Doesn’t Change That’: Ahmed Patel’s Daughter Says Unsure of AAP-Congress Pact

Mumtaz Patel said if the alliance committee has taken a decision, it may be for the best. (X @mumtazpatels)

Ahmed Patel loved challenges. Each time he stepped in to firefight for his party, more specifically for his boss Sonia Gandhi, he tried to ensure that she wins. Like, after winning the Rajya Sabha polls in 2020, a teary-eyed Patel told News18: “The prestige of many people depended on this win.”

Patel’s children Faisal and Mumtaz have worked hard at carrying forward the legacy of their father in Bharuch. They too, like their father, love challenges and with seat-sharing talks announced between the AAP and Congress, they face yet another challenge. As per the pact, Bharuch goes to AAP’s kitty along with Bhavnagar.

In fact, much before the alliance was announced, Aam Aadmi Party had declared Chaitar Vasava as the candidate from here. Both AAP and Congress vie for the same votes here, hence, it was inevitable that AAP attacked Patel. This is what has upset the Patel children even more along with the fact that the same Congress workers they incited against AAP will have to be told now to calm down and work together. This may not be easy.

Mumtaz Patel, in an exclusive conversation with News18, minced no words about the challenge. Asked if she felt let down, Mumtaz said: “I do feel sad and upset for sure. Let down may not be the right word to use. I shall always work for the Congress. If the alliance committee has taken a decision, it may be for the best. I will respect it and continue to work for the party.”

Ahmed Patel was the MP from Bharuch for eight terms — thrice from the Lok Sabha. But for 1989, the seat has been won by the BJP. The sitting MP is Mansukhbhai Vasava.

Mumtaz, when asked if she felt the move was “unfair” to her father’s legacy, said: “Dad’s contribution as an MP from the Congress has been for 45 years. He was the voice of Bharuch and Gujarat in Parliament. This is for all to see in the times to come. That’s his legacy. One Lok Sabha election doesn’t change that.”

But the real issue is to ensure that at the local level, the till now warring AAP and Congress workers sink their differences and work together. Even Vasava knows this is tough and so does Mumtaz. “I can’t say for sure,” she responds when asked if it will be easy for the cadre to work in sync.

It’s this lack of surety which speaks a lot. At the heart of Ahmed Patel’s Bharuch home stands the rocking chair where he took many a tough decisions. This chair now stands still, unsure, perhaps of which way it should swing.