Dinsha J Patel, minister of state for petroleum and gas, will take on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi from Maninagar in next month’s assembly election.

Patel, a Congress member of Parliament from Kaira in Gujarat, was chosen to take on Modi in what is considered the latter’s stronghold. There were initially not many Congress leaders willing to take on Modi, but Patel, sources said, evinced interest in the electoral battle. The Congress seems to have decided to seriously join the battle.