Ahmedabad, 5 January 2014

So we are seeing lot of enthusiasm in Gujarat based media over AAP for possible reasons narrated in detail in previous article.

And in mainstream media of Gujarat, we recently saw a list of the names of those who would join AAP “according to sources”.

We read in a Gujarati newspaper website that Junagadh BJP MLA Mahendra Mashru would join AAP. However when DeshGujarat spoke to Mashru on phone, Mashru clearly stated he neither knew anyone in AAP, nor anyone from AAP had contacted him. He said the news on he joining AAP was totally incorrect. He said he came to know about this rumor after he received number of phone calls for inquiry on same!

BJP leader Vijay Rupani was another politician who was on receiving end due to enthusiasm in mainstream media over AAP. Deepak Chaurasia fame India News in its prime time bulletin instead of Kanubhai Kalsaria’s photo, showed Vijaybhai Rupani’s picture. For quite a long time it looked like Rupani had joined AAP and not Kalsaria!

Then we heard that Revenue Minister Anandiben Patel’s husband Mafatbhai Patel already joined AAP. Mafatbhai lives separately for last many years. He originally belongs to RSS thought-school. He is education-sector activist. He has been independent and outspoken person for last many years. Prominent media houses tried to take advantage of situation and published stories on Mafatbhai joining AAP in spicy way.

However when DeshGujarat called Mafatbhai today evening and asked whether he had joined AAP, Mafatbhai clearly denied. Mafatbhai said he sat with his family members, and took decision to not to join AAP at this point. He said it was his family’s wish. He said he may rethink his decision in future, but for now he was not joining AAP.

Even after amazing scale of media enthusiasm, only two known faces in Gujrat – Dr. Kanubhai Kalsaria and Hanubhai Dhorajiya have joined AAP so far. Both were denied ticket by BJP. While Kanubhai was one of the only two then sitting MLAs who lost his deposit last year in assembly polls, Dhorajiya was not confident enough to contest on his own after he was denied ticket, and inactive.