New Delhi: As the polling day approaches in Gujarat, mysterious posters appeared on Thursday in Surat asking the Muslim community to vote for the Congress, projecting Ahmed Patel as its chief ministerial face.

Mr Patel, who is Congress president Sonia Gandhi’ political advisor, stressed that he was never a candidate for the chief minister’s post and “never will be”.

In a strongly worded tweet Mr Patel said, “Putting up fake posters and orchestrating a rumour campaign shows the utter desperation of the BJP. Fearing defeat, do they have to rely on such dirty tricks? I have never ever been a candidate for CM and will never ever be.”

The posters that came up in old city area and Surat-East constituency of the diamond and trading hub which goes to polls on Saturday carried photos of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Mr Patel.

The Congress said that the BJP is trying to use all means to divert the attention from the real issues on the ground.

“To maintain unity within the Muslim community and to make Ahmed Patel the ‘wazir-e-alam’ (grand minister) of Gujarat, we request the Muslim community to vote only for the Congress,” the poster said.

Attacking the BJP, Mr Patel added, “The moot issue is that the BJP is trying very, very hard to divert the narrative from its performance of last 22 years to a divisive agenda. Hence, their reliance on lies and propaganda. But people of Gujarat have made up their mind this time.”