In a development that could hurt the chances of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Saurashtra, Bharat Patel, son of rebel BJP leader Keshubhai Patel, on Friday rejected the offer of fighting the Assembly election on BJP ticket.
"I was offered the BJP ticket. I pondered over it for three to four days and have now decided to reject the offer," Bharat said in a statement.
"It is not proper for me to go against the path chosen by my father," Bharat said referring to the stand taken by Keshubhai against Chief Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government in the state.
"My father has given his entire life to build the party in the state. But he believes that the party has lost its focus due to one-upmanship and dictatorial style of functioning of a leader," Bharat said without taking Modi's name. Bharat said his father was unhappy with the present state of things and has decided not to campaign for the party in the coming elections due to "bad experiences."
"My father had given me freedom to take the decision on the offer. But I have decided to reject it as I feel that it won't be proper for me to fight on BJP ticket after the stand taken by my father," he added.
With this decision of Bharat, the plan of Modi camp to create a division in Keshubhai's family and win over the politically influential Patel community's votes in the elections has failed, a BJP rebel leader said.
Patels constitute around 18 per cent of the state's population.