Congress faces crisis ahead of CWC meet

GANDHINAGAR: Even as the

Gujarat

unit of the Congress is busy making arrangements for the Congress working committee (CWC) meeting to held in Ahmedabad on March 12, political circles were abuzz with talk of Alpesh Thakor, the first-time Congress MLA from

Radhanpur

, defecting to the BJP along with half a dozen Congress MLAs.


Thakor has remained non-committal, saying he will consult with members of his Kshatriya Thakor Sena, before making an announcement about his political future. Thakor said he will divulge his decision on Friday afternoon. With Alpesh Thakore’s imminent exit, the Congress switched into damage-control mode, even as most of its senior leaders have been preoccupied with the CWC arrangements. The CWC meeting is being held in Gujarat after more than five decades.

The names of at least seven Congress MLAs who will likely quit the party along with Alpesh Thakore have been doing the rounds for the last 48 hours. These include Dhavalsinh Zala from Bayad, Bharatji Thakor from Becharaji, Chandanji Thakor from Siddhpur, Soma Ganda Koli Patel from Limbdi, Vimal Chudasama from Somnath, Kirit Patel from Patan and Lalit Vasoya from Dhoraji. None of these MLAs have said they will join the BJP.

Apart from Dhavalsinh Zala, who says he will stand by Alpesh Thakor, the others said they would not join the BJP under any circumstances. Zala said, “No decision has been taken on this so far and no discussion has happened either. I am with Alpesh Thakor and will continue to remain so. Soma Ganda Patel brush aside the question saying, “I am in the Congress so far. Let people say whatever they want.”“I want to know who is spreading rumours that I will join the BJP. I would prefer suicide to joining the BJP. Four months ago, a BJP leader offered me a

Lok Sabha

ticket which I refused. After that, nobody in the BJP has dared to approach me,” Vasoya said. Kirit Patel, the MLA from Patan, said, “I will never join the BJP. People misconstrued my appreciation of the government’s removal of the corrupt vice-chancellor of Patan University as a sign of me joining the BJP.” Siddhpur MLA Chandanji Thakor said, “These are rumours planted by the BJP. I request the media to not to spread these rumours. There is no question of me joining the BJP.”