Gujarat Assembly Election: Hardik Patel Challenges BJP

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New Delhi, October 24: Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Tuesday questioned the delay in the announcement of dates for Assembly elections in Gujarat. Patel said if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is confident of winning 150 seats in the 182-seat Gujarat Assembly, then it should ask the Election Commission to announce the poll dates soon.“If BJP is so confident of winning around 150 seats then why the delay in election announcement?” ANI quoted Patel, as saying. Hardik Patel emerged as one of the major leaders in Patidar agitation demanding reservation in government educational institutions and jobs.

Earlier, the Congress had questioned the delay in the announcement of dates for Gujarat Assembly elections. Congress said that the Election Commission (EC) has allowed its own credibility to be dented by not announcing the poll dates.“Does the Prime Minister have the authority legal or constitutional to prevent the announcement of the dates by the Election Commission for Gujarat elections? The credibility of ECI has been respected not only in this country but has inspired trust and confidence across the world,” Congress leader Anand Sharma told ANI.“Today, the EC has allowed its own credibility to be dented by invoking the model code of conduct in the state of Gujarat. If opposition will not ask questions then who will ask when something going wrong in the country? The Prime Minister is not shahanshah (Emperor) and India is not his Sultanate (Empire),” Sharma said.