'Tired of Waiting': Son of Sonia's Top Lieutenant Ahmed Patel 'Opens His Options' Before Gujarat Polls

Faisal Patel, son of late veteran Congress leader Ahmed Patel, had openly expressed his resentment against the grand-old party and added that he is keeping his options open as “he has been tired of waiting”.

In a cryptic tweet targeted at Congress, Patel said, “Tired of waiting around. No encouragement from the top brass. Keeping my options open.”

Ahmed Patel was a senior leader from Gujarat and political secretary of Sonia Gandhi. During the UPA government between 2004 and 2014, he was one of the top leaders of the party. He passed away in 2020.

But after the death of Patel, his son was not been given any assurance from the party. Ahmad Patel has been a long-time member of the party and was considered one of the most powerful leaders in the party after the Gandhi family.

However, the statement from Faisal Patel is another blow to the party, which has failed to entertain the aspirations of its young cadres. The Congress has recently witnessed a series of defections from within the party, where party leaders have switched sides to BJP. Another group of senior Congress leaders, termed as G-23, have openly expressed their reservations against the working of the party.

Faisal’s tweet comes days after he had said that he will be touring seven assembly seats of Bharuch and Narmada districts in Gujarat. The state is likely to head for assembly polls later this year in December.

“Starting 1st of April, I will be touring the 7 assembly seats of Bharuch & Narmada districts. My team will assess the current reality of the political situation and will make major changes if needed to accomplish our main goal- win all 7 seats god willing,” Faisal Patel had said.

During his political career, Ahmed Patel had not made any formal entry of his children into politics. He had a huge following in Gujarat across party lines and had significant influence at his home turf in Bharuch.

In April 2021, Faisal had met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi raising speculations about looking beyond the Congress. He had shared a picture of him with Kejriwal on social media, where he wrote, “Proud to finally meet our Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal ji! As a Delhi resident, I am an ardent admirer of his work ethic and leadership skills. Discussed Artificial Intelligence’s impact on humanity and the current political affairs in the country.”

Meanwhile, AAP is also looking forward to expand its footprints in the state after a successful innings in Punjab. The party has made it clear that it will contest the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

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