At the age of 27, in 1976 Ahmed Patel contested and won the local body elections from his village on a Congress ticket. As his village representative, Ahmed Patel successfully implemented the Indira Awas Jojna, which was meant to increase house ownership of underprivileged tribal. The scheme involved a government subsidy of close to 80% and Ahmed Patel assisted tribal to secure the additional 20%. His administrative and political acumen was noticed by Shri Sanjay Gandhi, who was instrumental in his appointment as Vice President of the District Youth Congress in 1975.
In 1977, in the first general elections after the Emergency, Ahmed Patel was given a Congress ticket from the Bharuch Lok Sabha constituency. In that election he was one of the 153 parliamentarians elected on a Congress ticket, which at that point of time turned out to the party’s worst performance since independence.
“India’s diversity is her strength and this is non-negotiable.”
During the UPA government regime between 2004 and 2014, Ahmed Patel was one its chief trouble shooters and coordinators between the government and party. Apart from politics, he is extensively involved in philanthropic and charitable activities, particularly in his home district of Bharuch.
