Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], June 5 (ANI): Patidar community leader and Khodaldham Trust Chief Naresh Patel was seen with Gujarat BJP chief C R Patil during the inauguration of a gym in Rajkot on Sunday.

Ahmedabad Mar 30 PTI Industrialist Naresh Patel an influential Patidar community leader in Gujarat who is also chairman of the Khodaldham Temple Trust will soon join the Congress leaders of the opposition party claimed on WednesdayAssembly elections in the BJP-ruled Gujarat are due by the end of this yearNaresh Patel a prominent figure in the numerically strong Patidar community had earlier indicated that he was keen to join politics This had led to political parties like the BJP the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party AAP extending an invitation to himNaresh Patel will soon join the Congress party Gujarat Congress vice-president Hemang Vasavda claimedVasavda quashed speculation that Naresh Patel will be declared the Congress chief ministerial candidate ahead of polls saying a decision in this regard will be taken by the partys central leadershipNaresh Patel an industrialist is a Leuva Patidar a sub-caste of the communityHe became popular in the community after a trust headed by him built a massive temple of Mother Khodiyar at Kagwad in the Saurashtra region His clout had increased during the Patidar communitys agitation for reservation in jobs and education some years agoThe Congress sitting in opposition in Gujarat for more than two decades now hopes to win over the Patidar community before the electionsThe Congress had taken support of quota agitation leader Hardik Patel before the 2017 Assembly elections and he eventually joined the opposition partyThis time they are hoping Naresh Patel will help them win over Patidar votesThe ruling BJP refrained from commenting on the Congress claim on Naresh Patel and said it will wait for an official announcement about his political plungeEverybody is free to join whichever party they wish to In this case Naresh Patel is a senior community leader We will give our reaction at an appropriate time after a public announcement is made said state education minister and BJP leader Jitu VaghaniThe AAP sounded sceptical about the Congress claim on the Patidar community leaderI personally cannot believe the news that Naresh Patel will join a sinking ship like the Congress party We had sent an invitation to Patel to join our party AAP state head Gopal Italia saidGujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel had last week said that for Naresh Patel the BJP is the best party to joinNaresh Patel was not available for comments despite repeated attemptsOn Monday the Patidar community leader had said he was keen to join politics and will take a final call after consulting his supporters PTI PD RSY RSY

Ahmedabad Sep 18 PTI Several newly-appointed ministers of the Gujarat government on Saturday took charge of their offices at Sachivalay with some choosing an auspicious time and others coming with kin for blessings Among the ministers who took charge were Kanu Desai Jitu Vaghani Rushikesh Patel Raghavji Patel Naresh Patel Harsh Sanghavi Brijesh Merja Kirtisinh Vaghela Manisha Vakil and Vinod Moradiya Many of them began their ministerial stint with meetings with officials with Vaghani minister of education as well as science and technology approving Rs 783 crore as financial aid for 906 student beneficiaries Finance Minister Kanu Desai met officials of the state electricity board and said he would take forward the work carried out by previous CMs like Narendrabhai Modi Anandiben Patel and Vijay Rupani Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education Minister Rushikesh Patel after taking charge said the government would continue to push for free COVID-19 vaccination Patel who is also in charge of the water resources and supply ministry said work will continue to ensure tap water is made available in every household in the state Tribal Affairs minister Naresh Patel assumed office by bringing a priest for prayers while minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Pradip Parmar took charge on an auspicious time after seeking the blessings of his parents Minister of State for Health Medical Education and Tribal Affairs Nimisha Suthar said her department would make all out efforts to ensure 100 per cent vaccination in Gujarats tribal areas Harsh Sanghavi offered prayers in his office along with his family and assumed charge as the minister of state for home and later held a meeting with state Director General of Police Ashish Bhatia and other senior officials Governor Acharya Devvrat had on Thursday administered the oath of office and secrecy to 10 cabinet ministers and 14 ministers of state including five with independent charge PTI KA BNM BNM BNM