Infighting amongst BJP leaders have been witnessed on some seats forward of the January 28 elections to the Surat District Co-operative Bank SDCB in Surat and Tapi districts.
The SDCB, which has an annual turnover of almost Rs 9,000 crore, has 11 lakh account holders at its 111 branches unfold throughout south Gujarat and one in Mumbai. More than 1,500 votes can be solid within the polls that can be held on 18 seats.
In Surat’s Olpad seat, sitting BJP MLA of Olpad Mukesh Patel is contesting towards unbiased candidate and former BJP MLA from the seat Dhansukh Patel. On Ichhapore seat, the BJP’s Olpad taluka president Yogesh Patel is contesting towards former MLA of Olpad Kirit Patel. On Mandvi seat, unbiased candidate Narendrasinh Mahida, a retired financial institution supervisor of SDCB, is contesting towards BJP MP from Bardoli Prabhu Vasava.
In Tapi district, some seats are headed for a direct struggle between the BJP and the Congress. On Vyara seat, Congress MLA Punaji Gamit is contesting towards BJP chief Ganesh Chaudhary; on Songadh seat, Congress candidate Sunil Gamit is contesting towards BJP’s Jignesh Donwala; and on Nizar seat, Congress’s Mahendra Patel is going through BJP chief Sunil Patel.
SDCB incumbent chairman Naresh Patel is contesting on Valod seat, and is about for a transparent win as no one has stuffed nomination towards him to date.
SDCB vice-chairman and BJP’s Surat district president Sandeep Desai stated, “On some of the seats, there is infighting among the BJP leaders and we are trying to sort out their issue. A total of 149 forms have been taken by BJP, Congress and independent candidates. Many leaders are withdrawing their forms and in coming days the picture will be clearer.”
