Hardik Patel announces support for Congress

Patidar leader Hardik Patel today declared his support for the Congress in the Gujarat elections next month and said the opposition party had accepted its demand for reservation for the Patel community. The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader said the Congress will include the extension of reservation benefit to Patidars in its election manifesto. “The Congress has agreed to provide reservation to the Patidar community,” Patel told reporters here. The Congress, which has mounted a hectic campaign to dislodge the long-ruling BJP in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and saffron party chief Amit Shah, has been wooing the Patel stir spearhead for quite some time. Elections in Gujarat will be held on December 9 and 14.