Dissident leader Zadaphia joins hands with Uma Bharti

Vadodara, Gujarat, Nov 25 (UNI) Dissident BJP leader and former Gujrat Home Minister Gordhan Zadaphia today joined hands with Bhartiya Janshakti Party (BJSP) supremo Uma Bharti amid speculations about the latter's return to her parent party BJP.

Mr Zadaphia, who recently floated the Sardar Patel Utkarsh Samiti (SPUS) to rope in the disgruntled party leaders and sitting MLAs who were denied BJP tickets for the forthcoming Assembly elections in Gujarat, was closeted with Uma Bharti and her state party leaders for more than three hours at the Circuit House here.

Later, Ms Bharti introduced Mr Zadaphia as her party leader to her spiritual mentor Asharam Bapu at a religious discourse.

Mr Zadaphia and Ms Bharti also had separate closed door meetings with former Chief Minister and dissident leader Sanat Mehta and two-time Vadodara rural MLA Dilubha Chudasama, who was denied a party ticket.

Talking to UNI after a three-hour-long discussion with the BJP dissident leaders and her own state party leaders, including BJSP Gujarat Unit President Chaitanya Sambhu Maharaj, Ms Bharti said that she would make her Party's stand clear on the upcoming elections in Gujarat and on the issue of her return to BJP at a press conference later in the evening.

According to sources, Ms Bharti is unlikely to withdraw the Party candidates from contesting against BJP nominees or return to the parent party as she seems to have made up her mind to go ahead with BJSP policies.

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