Alpesh Thakor quits Congress, rules out joining BJP

AHMEDABAD: Eighteen months after Congress president Rahul Gandhi personally inducted him in Congress, Radhanpur MLA Alpesh Thakor, who is also the convener of the Kshatriya Thakor Sena, announced on Wednesday that he has quit the Congress. In the resignation letter posted on social media, Thakor said he has not quit as an MLA but relinquished all positions given to him by the Congress.
“I will not join the BJP or campaign for the party in the 2019 general election.I will put all my might behind two Thakor Sena candidates who are contesting the Bansakantha LS and the Unjha assembly bypoll,” said Thakor at a press briefing in Ahmedabad.
Thakor’s exit from the Congress ends a period of intense uncertainty during which he is said to have opened parleys with the BJP just before the general election. With this young OBC strongman's exit from Congress, the party is likely to face a setback on at least three Lok Sabha seats — Patan, Banaskantha and Sabarkantha — and the Unjha assembly bypoll seat.
“I sought respect but got only betrayal from Congress. I am leaving the party due to Gujarat Congress leadership and the AICC in charge of Gujarat Rajeev Satav,” Thakor said.
18 months after Rahul’s welcome, Alpesh accuses Cong of selling tickets
Listing the grounds on which he quit the party, Alpesh Thakor accused the Congress of sidelining his supporters and giving ticket for money not merit.
“Youth of the Thakor Sena, who were instrumental in Congress winning 43 of its 77 seats, were not being made officebearers at the taluka and district levels. Seats were up for sale and the highest bidder got the ticket while those who worked round the clock were ignored. The Thakor Sena was not even consulted while deciding tickets,” he said.
Thakor alleged that the Congress leadership asked his members about their financial clout when they sought tickets for the election. “Tickets are literally being sold in Congress. We thought we will fight the BJP but we realized we were stabbed in the back by our own in the Congress,” said Thakor.
“If I wanted a position, I could have joined the BJP in 2017 itself, when I was promised a ministerial berth,” he added.
Leader of opposition Paresh Dhanani accused Thakor of being opportunistic. “Alpesh was accorded maximum respect but like others he also left the Congress for money and power. He has back-stabbed people who voted him to power on Congress symbol,” said Dhanani.
OBCs account for 40 per cent of Gujarat’s population and Thakor holds considerable sway over the OBC community in the districts of Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Patan and Mehsana in North Gujarat.
Two of Thakor’s associates — Bayad MLA Dhaval Jhala and Becharaji MLA Bharatji Thakor — also resigned from Congress party on Wednesday. With this recent blow, Congress has lost nine MLAs so far to the exodus ahead of 2019 polls.