Ex-BJP MLA joins Cong ahead of polls

Ahmedabad: Former BJP MLA Balkrishna Patel, 66, joined the Congress on Sunday, alleging that despite his commitment and hard work, he was sidelined in the ruling party. Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor and former president Siddharth Patel welcomed Patel to the party. Balkrishna Patel represented the Dabhoi seat in Vadodara district between 2012 and 2017 as BJP MLA. He had defeated Congress’ Siddharth Patel in 2012 assembly election. “I had worked hard to strengthen the BJP at the district and taluka levels for many years. I was not given a ticket for the 2017 election though I was then a sitting MLA. Even my son was denied a ticket for the not-so-important district panchayat polls. I left the BJP because I was being constantly neglected and sidelined,” the former legislator told reporters. Patel said he joined the Congress without expecting a ticket for himself or his son in the upcoming assembly election. TNN