Vadodara/ Anand: Congress on Wednesday sprung a surprise by declaring a little-known face as its candidate for the Petlad assembly seat in Anand district. The party declared Dr Prakash Parmar as its candidate for the seat dropping sitting MLA Niranjan Patel, a six-time MLA.
Following the announcement, Patel resigned from the party. Talking to TOI, Patel said, “I will take a decision regarding future course of action after meeting workers,” he said. Thursday is the last day of filing nomination for phase 2 of assembly election.
A tug-of-war was going on between the sitting MLA and Congress senior leader, former union minister and former Anand MP Bharat Solanki, who was looking for a safe seat to contest in the forthcoming assembly elections.
Sources said that local politics between the two Congress camps of Petlad played a crucial role in the party’s decision of dropping the sitting MLA and declaring Parmar as its candidate for the seat.
Parmar, a homeopathy doctor, runs a paralysis centre in his native village Bamroli in Petlad taluka. It will be for the first time that he will contest an assembly election.
The 39-year-old’s parents have had a long association with Congress. His father Dr Budha Parmar had served as president of Petlad taluka panchayat president while his mother Kokila was a member of the district panchayat.
Congress has played a gamble on Petlad, which is considered as its safest seat in Gujarat.
Along with Petlad, Congress has declared Chirag Patel, sarpanch of Vasna village panchayat, as its candidate for Khambhat seat.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.