In his first public statement after the decision to join the Congress party, Patidar stir leader from Gujarat, Hardik Patel on Sunday said that there is no legal hindrance for him to contest the elections and if the party decides to field him, he would abide by the decision and contest the polls.
The 25-year-old firebrand leader's statement came just over an hour after the chief election commissioner announced the dates of 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Earlier this week, at a meeting of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti held at Tarakhdi village of Rajkot district, it was decided that Hardik would join the Congress.
Hardik, who is out on bail in sedition case, said in the press statement that: “To give shape to my intentions, to serve the society and country at large, I have decided to join the Indian National Congress, the oldest political party of India, on 12th March 2019 in the presence of its national president Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders”.
Mentioning that there was no legal hindrance and he would abide by the party's decision if it decides to field him, Patel said that he was taking the step to serve the people of not only Gujarat but the 125 crore citizens of India.
The Patidar stir for reservation, which began in 2015 under Hardik's leadership, did make an impact in Gujarat and the ruling BJP faced losses in elections at various levels. Its tally in the 2017 assembly elections was restricted to 99 and the Patidar stir was one of the major factors.
In 2017 assembly elections, Hardik had openly opposed the BJP and sought votes for the Congress.
