Ahmedabad sources have stated that Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who pulled off a victory in the bitterly fought Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat, has the reputation of being a troubleshooter and strategist for the party. Meanwhile, the long serving political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been one of the most powerful functionaries in the party.
According to sources an organizational man, he had gently turned down offers to join the government at the centre by four prime ministers when the Congress was in power, according to party insiders. A Nehru Gandhi family loyalist, he has represented Gujarat seven times in Parliament three times as Lok Sabha member from Bharuch and four times as Rajya Sabha member.
Accordingly Patel beat Balwantsinh Rajput, who was till recently the Congress' chief whip in the state Assembly before switching over to BJP, polling 44 votes in the first Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat in two decades which saw a contest instead of official candidates of major parties getting elected unopposed.
