Ahmedabad : With parties already gearing up for the end of the year Assembly elections slated for Gujarat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel categorically said his focus is on retaining the state for the BJP and asserted that the Aam Aadmi Party is in no way even close to an alternative in the state. “I am a positive person. I never speak about defeating anyone, instead target on winning each seat (in the Assembly). My focus is not to defeat anyone, but win elections,” said Patel exuding confidence that BJP will retain power once more in the western coastal state, that is also the Prime Minister’s home state. Patel, who took over as the chief minister in the latter part of last year following resignation of Vijay Rupani, spoke to UNI here on Sunday responding to questions related to the state assembly polls. Citing his government’s main focus, Patel said, “My way of working is to ensure basic needs are fulfilled, public should not face any difficulties. Whatever is required in this direction, we work on it.” Our effort is to ensure benefits of every government scheme should reach people, he added. “BJP is not an election-centric party like other political parties, including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which are only visible during elections. It’s only BJP which stands by the people in tough times. The agenda of the BJP is to work for the welfare of the people,” Patel said, while narrating about the ruling dispensation’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic. He said in the BJP, the organisation and government works together implementing whatever welfare schemes comes or are suggested. Asserting that AAP will not be a factor in upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, he said “You can only see their posters across the state, but in reality the situation is totally different. “After I took over as CM, there was speculation that AAP would win the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation polls, but BJP won 41 out 44 seats and got the absolute majority for the first time. We have also performed stupendously well in rural polls. So there won’t be any difficulty or challenge for us. “For us in Gujarat it’s we will sail through,” he said. It’s obvious that people will obviously elect some representatives from the Opposition parties as well be it Congress or AAP, he observed. Asked whether the party would give tickets to new faces, Patel said, “In our party, even CMs can’t tell that their tickets are confirmed. Even I don’t know about myself.” In a veiled attack on the AAP over ‘freebies’, the chief minister told UNI: “If we do competition of freebies. I can also do it. But, we will not. We have to keep work ahead for the development of the state by keeping in mind the ‘Gujarat Model’ set by the then chief minister and now Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ” Patel, who represents the Ghatlodia Assembly constituency, said, “We are working to ensure that benefits of government schemes are reaching the masses. In this regard, we have started doorstep visit to take feedback and what developmental schemes can be brought for their welfare.” Informing that the state government is working on the concept of ‘green energy’, the CM said, “The state government has signed an MoU of Rs 10,400 crore recently with Japan, while Rs 5 lakh crore with Reliance to work in this direction. We have to lessen the use of petrol by any means.”
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