The second marriage of Gujarat’s senior-most Congress leader, former Gujarat Congress Chief and Union Minister, Bharatsinh Solanki has crumbled. Not only has the 67-year-old separated from his second wife of 13 years but has issued a public notice asking the people of Gujarat to not indulge in any financial or other transactions with his estranged wife threatening legal action. His estranged wife, Reshma was not available for her comments on the notice.
Bharat Solanki, then 54, got married to Reshma Patel in 2008. His first marriage with Dr Rekha Solanki had crumbled in the late nineties.
Rekha, his first wife is Gujarat’s topmost dermatologist and has never spoken out about her marriage and its failure. Bharat and Rekha, like Bharat and Reshma also had a love marriage. Bharat’s father, Madhavsinh Solanki, the former Union external affairs minister was very fond of his daughter-in-law Rekha’s achievements and family dedication. Madhavsinh reportedly was not in favour of Bharat divorcing her.
Rekha’s dignified silence on her personal life helped in fostering Bharat’s political career. He rose to become the Congress party president and a union minister also. However, his relationship and marriage failure with Reshma, his second wife has not been smooth. Even before their marriage, when Bharat and Reshma were reportedly living in together, people who knew the couple had raised issues about her high headedness and violent temper tantrums. According to these people, “Reshma was immature, impulsive and materialistic”. Vibes of India attempted to contact Reshma but she was not available.” Bharat tried his best to foster her likes and choices and even her unrealistic ambitions but was not successful,” a bitter most critic of Bharat within the Congress party, presently in Gujarat told Vibes of India. From Reshma’s side, a sympathiser said Reshma was tired of Bharat’s nature and intimate friendships with the opposite sex. Reshma, an American citizen was not willing to separate with Bharat but sources said, compromise exercises from both sides failed. Bharat Solanki and Gujarat Congress had both received complaints of Reshma reportedly siphoning away funds, misusing Bharat’s name and position for her materialistic ambitions and brokering deals. This claim was not verified since Reshma has not yet spoken to VoI. From Reshma’s side, a source claimed that Bharat’s intimate relationship with a 26 year old Rabari lady from Anand district and another lady from Juhapura(Ahmedabad) is the main reason of the drift.
Unfortunately, according to Bharat Solanki’s lawyer, the matter about financial transactions got so serious and with complaints of Reshma brokering deals and doing financial transactions started damaging Bharat Solanki’s public image and societal respect”. This compelled Bharat Solanki to bring out the issues with his wife in public knowledge. He Through his lawyer, Bharat Madhavsinh Solanki issued a public notice asking people not to indulge in any financial or any other transaction with Reshma Patel. The notice said he has been estranged from Reshma for the last four years and “he would not be responsible if anyone indulges in any transaction in which she may misuse his name, position or respectability in the society”. This public spat between the couple has become the talk of political circles in Gujarat.
It must be noted that in the recent corporation elections, complaints were made to the Party High Command about Bharatsinh Solanki unduly promoting a lady from Juhapura. This married lady, who was Bharat Solanki’s political protege and at least 25 years younger than him became the eye of a storm after over 700 Congress workers left the party to join Asauddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen party. Bharat reportedly went all out to comply with this lady’s wish of contesting the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation elections ignoring the majority choice of the name for that seat. Bharat’s protege and friend lost the election which amplified how Bharat had imposed a choice for his personal interest rather than the Party’s benefit. However, Bharat’s supporters maintain that the ticket allocation was completely on merit but his rivals within the party floated these baseless theories.
” Bharatsinh Solanki is the smartest of the Gujarat politicians that Congress has, but his personal life issues have tainted his otherwise very bright and political personality, consuming much of his time and attention”, one of his close aides told Vibes of India
The lady he gave the ticket lost miserably in the Corporation elections and contributed to thousands of Muslims leaving the party claiming it did not merit that mattered in the Congress. It was his lady love that ensured the growth of Owaisi’s party, a Congress Muslim worker from Juhapura told VoI.
Bharatsinh Solanki’s rivals within the party claim that it is his relationship with this much married woman that has been the reason for his marriage with Reshma to crumble.
Bharat was blessed to recover after a nearly 102 day battle with Corona in the first wave.
He got active in politics after his recovery and was aiming to be the next Gujarat Congress president when this personal tragedy of his marriage breakdown and his spat became public.
While politics across India believes in having different personal and private life compartments, it is not so in Gujarat. Politics in Gujarat is what Bollywood is to Mumbai, Even the most personal life details in Gujarat have become a hot controversy in Gujrat.
A top BJP Union Minister confided in Vibes of India that the BJP has not ever been scared of any congress politician and his strategies except for Bharatsinh Solanki. The Minister has been in constant praise of Bharat’s tactics, political insights and strategies. “Bharat Solanki has been the best Congress president of Gujarat in last 20 years”, the BJP minister said, adding that he was someone whose political moves were never deciphered by the BJP.
However, Ahmed Patel who interestingly made Bharat the party president did not support him much then which led to Congress Consecutive defeats, sources close to Bharat confirm.
Ironically, the difference between Reshma and Bharat have widened so much that his private life has now become a public issue. On Tuesday, his lawyer Kiran Tapodhan issued a public notice along with Reshma’s picture portraying her as someone who should not be trusted or be a part of any deals.
The advocate Kirankumar Tapodhan issued the notice on behalf of his client Bharat Solanki.
The notice read:
“I the undersigned, Kirankumar P Tapodhan, advocate, resident of Borsad of Anand district am issuing this notice on behalf of my client Bharatsinh Madhavsinh Solanki resident of Beverly Hills, Anand Borsad Road.
The photo in this notice is of Reshmaben Patel, daughter of Prakashchandra Manibhai Patel, resident of 10, Ishvarkrupa society, Borsad, Anand district and block number 142-143 Arpita Park, Gotri road, Vadodara.
My client (Bharat Madhavsinh Solanki) and Reshma have not been living together for four years. She has been living and interacting with others on her own my client (Bharat Solanki) has a position, social respectability and acceptance in society. This notice is to assert that nobody should indulge in any financial transaction or any other borrow-transfer activity with this lady. She has been misusing my client’s (Bharat’s) identity and position. In case,any person indulges in any transaction of any type with this lady, it will not be the responsibility of my client (Bharat Madhavsinh Solanki). If any such transaction comes to the notice of my client also, he will henceforth be taking legal action against her (ReshmaPatel). This notice is for public information”
The notice is signed by Bharat Madhavsinh Solanki and published on July 12, 2021, through his advocate K P Tapodhan.
When Vibes of India contacted Tapodhan, he said, “What would a politically respected person do if his name is used to extract money? Such a matter came to Bharat Solanki’s notice and he was compelled to issue this notice. We might have to take the case forward and file a legal complaint against Reshma, the lawyer added.
Bharat Solanki was not available for comments.
vibes of India will update this story when it gets further versions.
(vibes of India will update this story when it gets further versions.)
It is nice, balanced and impartial article.
Whether it is Bollywood or politics or even any profession personal character plays vital roll. For politician being public figure and seeking public support and liking if he violates social norms particularly affairs with opposite sex it utterly damages the carrier. In this case it is incessantly happening…. change of partners. The recent paramours the age difference is so much which hints lust and salaciousness. This may drastically affect political run. There are competitors who can find such things very handy.