The Aam Aadmi Party seems to be losing its sheen in the city of Surat, which is called the Diamond City of Gujarat. Surat, the bastion of the party which registered its influence in the entire state by winning 27 councilors in the Surat Municipal Corporation elections just two years ago, is now on the verge of collapse. In the last seven days, six councilors of the Aam Aadmi Party have left the party and joined the BJP. While a councilor has been shown the way out by the party due to his rebellious attitude. In the last 14 months, 13 AAP councilors have left the party. Now the party has only 14 out of 27 councilors left.
In fact, in the February 2021 local body elections in Gujarat, the AAP had won 27 seats in Surat and the BJP 93 in the 120-member corporation. At the same time, the account of the Congress was also not opened, but after the big victory, the BJP was in despair. There were two reasons behind this, first AAP broke into BJP’s strongest bastion and second BJP was wiped out in some wards, but now BJP has presence in all wards due to change of 13 councilors of Aam Aadmi Party.
Recently, on the night of April 14, six AAP councilors joined the BJP. After this, on April 21, two more councilors left the party and joined BJP. Apart from this, you have shown the way out to a councilor because of his rebellious attitude. After the councilors left the party, questions have arisen on the organization. After six councilors left the party together on April 14, state president Ishudan Gadhvi stayed in Surat for two days and held one-to-one talks with the remaining 17 councillors. Despite this, the split within the party could not be saved. Former state president Gopal Italia and senior leader Alpesh Kathiria also stayed in Surat for a few days. Even after this it is becoming difficult for you to save your house. Earlier in February 2022, four councilors of AAP had joined BJP.
Saving the post of leader of the opposition has become a challenge for you.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which fielded heavyweight candidates from all the seats in Surat in the assembly elections, is currently looking at damage control. The party is trying to keep all the councilors united in any case. 12 councilors are required to hold the position of Leader of the Opposition in the House. In such a situation, a very serious crisis has arisen for you in Surat. After the split in Surat’s AAP unit, AAP leaders say that BJP leaders are working day and night to break AAP. Some leaders of the party are being lured with crores of rupees. They are working on the behest of the BJP and are trying to instigate the party workers to join them in the BJP. Here, BJP leaders say that many AAP councilors may leave the party. Operation Demolition is currently going on in Surat.
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State president CR Patil’s reputation was at stake
State President CR Patil, who led the BJP to a massive victory in the Gujarat assembly elections, hails from Surat. He is reaching the Lok Sabha after being elected from Navsari for three consecutive times. In such a situation, the party’s weakness in Surat is directly linked to Patil’s performance, but at present the political equations in Heera Nagri are completely in favor of the BJP. The BJP holds all the seats in the assembly. So AAP and Congress seem to have a long way to go to come into the contest. Patil was not present at the time of taking membership of the councilors who came from AAP to BJP, but later he met all the councillors.
BJP got strength before 2024
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has become stronger in Surat due to the change of party councilors from the Aam Aadmi Party. Not only this, the party’s strength has increased in the corporation as well. Aam Aadmi Party got Sanjivani in Surat in the corporation elections. After this, the party moved forward on Mission Gujarat, but before and after the assembly elections, the party is on the back foot due to the change of party in total 13 councillors. If the exodus of councilors from AAP does not stop in the coming days, then Aam Aadmi Party will lose the post of Leader of Opposition along with the main opposition party in Surat.
