Patidar leader Hardik Patel announced on Wednesday his support for the Congress in next month’s assembly elections in Gujarat, providing a shot in the arm for the opposition party trying to win the western state after more than two decades.

At a press conference in Ahmedabad, Hardik said his outfit Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) accepted the formula proposed by the Congress to provide quotas for Patidars and said he would campaign against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for “unleashing atrocities” on his community.

“We will work against the arrogant BJP government, which killed our brothers and beat up Patidar people,” he said, but ruled out joining active politics for at least the next 2.5 years.

Comprising 12% of Gujarat’s population and with potential influence over 60-odd of the state’s 182 assembly seats, Patels have traditionally voted for the BJP but are angry over being denied quotas in jobs and education.

The community launched violent protests for quotas two years ago and has made the BJP jittery about its support for the first time in decades. “At least 65% of the Patidar votes will come to our party,” claimed Gujarat Congress spokesperson Kailash Kumar Gadhvi.

The BJP dismissed the alliance with a visibly angry deputy chief minister Nitin Patel saying, “Fools(PAAS) asked(for reservation), and fools(Congress) made promises’’.

Nitin called Hardik a Congress agent and said the opposition party would use him until the elections and then discard him. “His (Hardik’s) mistakes have been forgiven considering him as a son, else so many like him have come and gone.”

Hardik’s support marks the success of the Congress’ efforts to stitch together a broad opposition alliance after protests by PAAS and rebels this week marred the release of the first list of candidates.

Other Backward Class (OBC) leader Alpesh Thakor, who opposed the Patidar protests, has joined the Congress while Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani has pledged to campaign against the BJP.

Hardik said if voted to power, the Congress had decided to give quotas to Patidars under article 46, protected by article 31C of the Constitution.

Article 46 is a part of directive principles of the state policy and exhorts the state to promote the educational and economic interests of weaker sections.

Article 31C protects laws made to implement the directive principles even if they violate fundamental rights. Congress leader Kapil Sibal thanked Hardik for his support but refused to give details of the reservation formula.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley also vent his anger and said the Congress and Hardik were deceiving each other and the public. “The Congress-Hardik club is one of mutual deception. Legally and constitutionally that (breaching the 50% cap) is not possible as the law stands today.”

Being denied poll tickets Hardik’s PAAS former aide Reshma Patel left PAAS and joined BJP . Following this a faction of PAAS has seen indulge in open street protests in an post merger scenario.

Hindutva party supporters has taken hard stand on that lone incident and called it as a vertical split of PAAS and calling Hardik “Congress agent” and a fool that makes the poll heat gaining to new heights in Gujarat.

Not only Congress Vice President aggressive expose on Gujarat development Modi models and Hardik channelise bjp strong patel vote base to now congress , but both these young leaders gets huge youth followings in poll meetings causes sleepless nights to bjp top leaderships , insiders observe.