Prominent Patidar leader Naresh Patel says he not joining politics for now

Elders of the community advised me to focus on social services and welfare instead of joining active politics, he says

Prominent Patidar community leader and social leader Naresh Patel on Thursday announced that he is not joining politics or any political party ahead of Assembly polls in the State. He ended the suspense over whether he would join any party as he was being wooed by all three parties: the BJP, the Congress and the AAP in the State. 

On Thursday, he told presspersons in Rajkot that he has postponed joining politics respecting the feelings of the community elders who advised him to focus on his community and social services instead of joining active politics in the State. 

Mr. Patel is a chairman of the Patidar community’s one of the most prominent social religious institute Shree Khodaldham Trust in Rajkot. He said that a new “political academy” will be set up at Khodaldham to train Patidar youth in politics and encourage them to join politics in the State. 

His announcement came as a rude shock to the opposition Congress as the party leaders expected Mr. Patel to join the party and play an important role in the State Assembly elections given his influence over the Patidar community in the Saurashtra region. 

In last six months, Mr. Patel held a series of meetings with the political leaders of all parties but mainly with the Congress party leaders as he was seen inching towards as Opposition party and become a key face in the State. 

“We conducted survey in which we found that the elders have opined that I should focus on social services while youngsters have suggested that I should join politics,” he said in a press conference in Rajkot.  He added that “for now, he is not joining any party.”