Hardik Patel about Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi, Mar 11: Patel quota leader Hardik Patel on Saturday said regretted that not meeting Congress president Rahul Gandhi ahead of the Gujarat assembly elections was a mistake as it would have prevented the BJP from retaining power in the state.

While speaking with the media persons, Patidar leader expressed that it was a mistake not meeting Rahul Gandhi ahead of the elections and that if he had met the Congress leader, the BJP may have been prevented from retaining power in the state.

"I have said this before as well and I am saying it now. I did not meet Rahul Gandhi. If I can openly meet Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar and (Shiv Sena president) Uddhav Thackeray, there was no issue in meeting Rahul," Patel said.

"It was a mistake. Had I met him, the BJP would have won 79 and not 99 seats," he said.