Gandhinagar: Rebel Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor who has resigned from all posts of Congress party but not as assembly member today said, not just he and his couple of aides but 15 to 17 Congress MLAs are ready to leave Congress party soon. Thakor’s statement is significant in connection with upcoming two-seat Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat.

Alpesh told news agency ANI, ‘Just wait, 15-17 MLAs are leaving Congress. Everyone is upset. I am speaking about just 15. More than half MLAs are upset with organization. The organization is damaging them. And see, Congress witnessed minus in 173 of 183 assembly seats. Why? Because there’s fight going on between the organization and elected MLAs. I don’t think they (MLAs) will continue with party. If they stick to party, there’s a question whether they will be able to win.’

‘The way the Congress party is functioning, it has failed to understand the heartbeat of people. Congress has also failed to fight for the issues of the people. Weak people are sitting over party organization. BJP takes those along who have potential, who have public support. BJP has a great personality who is believed by world – Modi saheb. Congress is not in power in Gujarat for last 25 years because they have no organization, they have no pro-people ideology. You take any Lok Sabha. Each Lok Sabha has 2000-2500 booths. They have not agents beyond 500 booths in each Lok Sabha seats. They can’t think of winning. They sit in party office and give statements to press. They don’t go to people to hear the problems. I strongly believe that until Congress improve in these areas, it will remain as party of netas only,’ Thakor said.

As two Rajya Sabha MPs from Gujarat – Amit Shah and Smriti Irani – are elected to Lok Sabha, they are all set to vacate their Rajya Sabha seats. This will invite Rajya Sabha election for two seats in Gujarat in months to come. In that case BJP would need support of 120 MLAs to retain two seats. At present BJP can manage the support of around 109 MLAs. As four BJP MLAs are elected to Lok Sabha, they will vacate their seats in the assembly. The only way for BJP to retain two Rajya Sabha seats will be defection or absence of more Congress MLAs – numbering 15-20. If BJP can’t manage the numbers it will have to be satisfied with one Rajya Sabha seat, while the other would go to Congress.

Alpesh Thakor himself is MLA from North Gujarat. His two aides, Congress MLAs from Bayad and Bechraji will follow Alpesh’s decision. It’s a matter of time when Alpesh formally join BJP.

DeshGujarat