POTAD, July 12 (IANS) BJP-backed cooperative leaders have regained power over the Agricultural Market Commission (APMC) in Potad, Gujarat, five years after suffering defeat at the hands of Congress.
The election battle saw BJP-backed candidates emerge victorious, defeating party rebels as well as their rivals from the Congress Party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The vote followed by the count took place on Tuesday. In the vote count, BJP-backed candidates won 10 out of 14 seats, while a Congress-backed rebel group won four and the League failed to get any.
Dheerajlal Kalathiya, the ex-chairman of Putad, led the BJP’s Candidates Committee to victory, securing seven out of ten seats in the Farmers’ constituency and three out of the four seats in the Traders’ constituency.
Of the APMC’s 14 outgoing board members, seven were up for re-election. However, only Kalatea and former President Jivraj Patel were victorious. Guru Dadal, Kanu Dadal, Arvind Saleya and Jannat Vanalia, who served as directors on the outgoing board, rebelled after being denied the BJP’s endorsement for re-election.
Unfortunately for them, they were all defeated in the Peasant Circle. Likewise, Suresh Parabaya, a principal from the circle of merchants who also rebelled, met the same fate. Jivraj Patel was the only rebel to keep his seat.
The BJP’s victory in the Botad APMC elections reaffirms its position and influence within the collaborative leadership, while paving the way for future developments in the operations of the Agricultural Market Commission.
– Jans
janvi/dpb
