Ahead of the Gujarat bypolls — scheduled on September 13 — the Congress has witnessed a setback in two out of nine poll-bound Assembly constituencies on Wednesday as local Congress leaders in Tankara and Jam Khambhalia Assembly segments joined the saffron brigade.
The Congress party had earlier announced Dilip Saradva as its Tankara seat candidate. However, after the BJP declared its list of candidates, the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) leadership decided to replace him with another candidate lalit Kagathara. To register his opposition, Saradva joined the BJP along with his supporters. Apart from Saradva, Morbi District Congress president Brijesh Merja also joined the saffron party. Notably, Tankara Assembly segment falls under newly-carved Morbi district. Merja is former Gujarat Administrative Service (GAS) cadre officer, who joined Congress ahead of the 2012 Assembly elections and also contested from Morbi Assembly seat.
As far as Jam Khambhalia Assembly seat in Jamnagar district is concerned, seven Congress leaders have joined the BJP. The BJP, meanwhile, has given a ticket to former Minister in Modi Government, Mulubhai Bera in Jam Khambhalia seat.