The Gujarat unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has raised serious allegations against Kirit Patel, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)&rsquo;s candidate for the Visavadar Assembly by-election, accusing him of concealing assets, engaging in financial misconduct, and submitting a false affidavit during the nomination process.
Speaking at a press conference, AAP Gujarat state president Isudan Gadhvi claimed that Kirit Patel&rsquo;s income had increased from Rs 34.74 lakh to Rs 1.42 crore in a single year, as per the details submitted in his nomination affidavit. &ldquo;You speak of doubling farmers&rsquo; income, yet your own has quadrupled in just one year. Where did this money come from? Is this the outcome of the groundnut procurement scam or some other source of illicit funds? These are questions being asked by the people of Visavadar and Gujarat,&rdquo; Gadhvi alleged.&nbsp;
Gadhvi further accused Patel of omitting the ownership of a vehicle in his affidavit, despite possessing one. &ldquo;Candidates are required to declare all movable and immovable assets, including vehicles. Omitting such information suggests deliberate concealment. This is a violation, and the Election Officer should act accordingly,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;If this had been a candidate from another party, the nomination might have been rejected outright.&rdquo;
According to Gadhvi, another questionable entry in the affidavit is a loan of Rs 33 lakh that Patel reportedly gave to his wife. &ldquo;Who gives such a large loan to their own spouse within the same household?&rdquo; he questioned.&nbsp;
He added, &ldquo;This raises concerns about black money being circulated through personal channels. It is imperative that the Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate investigate the origins and legitimacy of this amount.&rdquo;
Gadhvi cited a past statement allegedly made by Patel, wherein he claimed he would &ldquo;consume poison and die&rdquo; if he ever took money from farmers. Responding to this, Gadhvi said, &ldquo;It is not Patel, but the farmers who are suffering and dying due to corruption in schemes like groundnut procurement and the lack of fair market prices.&rdquo;
He also criticised Patel&rsquo;s campaign promises, particularly a commitment to develop Visavadar on the lines of Paris and resign if he failed to do so. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve been a BJP leader for a decade. What have you achieved? You couldn&rsquo;t stop the eco-sensitive zone declaration, you failed to address the groundnut scam, and the condition of the roads is abysmal. These hollow assurances are not lost on the electorate,&rdquo; he said.
Gadhvi further alleged that government vehicles were being utilised for Patel&rsquo;s campaign, a charge that AAP&rsquo;s legal team is currently reviewing. He stated that AAP is prepared to file a formal complaint with the Election Commission. &ldquo;BJP continues to mislead people. Patel has a duty to transparently disclose every detail of his assets. Yet, he chose secrecy. If no action is taken, AAP will approach the court,&rdquo; he told Benefit News.&nbsp;
He called upon the Election Commission&rsquo;s observers and officers in charge to intervene, emphasising that people in Visavadar are neither unaware nor na&iuml;ve. &ldquo;They are wise and fully conscious of the wrongdoings. Every day, new lies are being told to gain electoral mileage,&rdquo; Gadhvi further explained.&nbsp;
In response to these developments, Gujarat Congress spokesperson Hiren Banker spoke to Benefit News, drawing a parallel with the Bhupendrasinh Chudasama case. &ldquo;There is a long-standing pattern in BJP. Look at the Dholka constituency case&mdash;Chudasama&rsquo;s electoral win was invalidated after the Gujarat High Court found that 429 postal ballots were wrongfully excluded, while he had won by just 327 votes. Yet, he did not resign,&rdquo; Banker noted. &ldquo;This is a party that has been deceiving the public for years.&rdquo;
Banker, however, did not spare AAP either. &ldquo;The Aam Aadmi Party is not innocent in all this. It was formed by levelling accusations against Congress in Delhi. Now, its own senior leadership is being accused of wrongdoing. Both BJP and AAP are mired in corruption. Neither has the moral authority to point fingers at the other,&rdquo; he alleged.&nbsp;
Dr Manish Doshi, also a spokesperson for Gujarat Congress, echoed similar sentiments. &ldquo;This is part of BJP&rsquo;s standard operating procedure. Submitting false information in legal documents is a criminal act. We urge the Election Commission to take cognisance and fulfil its constitutional duty to act against such candidates,&rdquo; he told Benefit News.&nbsp;
When approached, Kirit Patel was unavailable to comment. 
The by-election in Visavadar is scheduled for June 19, with counting to take place on June 23. The BJP has fielded Kirit Patel, a former district president, while the Congress has nominated Nitin Ranpariya, a former District Panchayat member from Bhensan with ties to Leuva Patidar community organisations.&nbsp;
AAP&rsquo;s candidate for the constituency is Gopal Italia. The seat fell vacant following the resignation of the sitting AAP MLA, who subsequently joined the BJP.
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(Left) Isudan Gadhvi and Kirit Patel (Right)

AAP flags major discrepancies in BJP nominee Kirit Patel’s affidavit for Visavadar seat.

AAP Alleges Misconduct by BJP Candidate Patel

AAP flags major discrepancies in BJP nominee Kirit Patel’s affidavit for Visavadar seat.

June 5, 2025 | 15:19 IST