Ahmed Patel’s ‘Jhoola’ is Still & Empty, Much Like Gujarat Congress. Will His Absence Swing Votes for BJP, AAP?

A big ‘jhoola’ sits empty in a sprawling living room. It was Ahmed Patel’s favourite place to sit. The emptiness of the ‘jhoola’, now occasionally used by his daughter Mumtaz Patel, reflects the emptiness of the Congress in Bharuch which was represented by AP, as Patel was called for decades. It perhaps also reflects the stillness within the Congress in the state.

Outside, a handful of supporters and party workers look at Mumtaz…