In yet another jolt to the Congress in Gujarat, Gandhinagar district panchayat president Hina Patel and eight other members joined the BJP on Monday. With this, the Congress lost yet another elected body in the State after recent defeat in Junagadh Municipal Corporation in July this year.
The announcement was made at a Press conference at the State BJP headquarters Kamalam in Gandhinagar in presence of senior party leaders IK Jadeja and Kaushik Patel.
The Congress was elected in Gandhinagar district panchayat with clear majority four years back. Of the nine Congress members who joined the saffron brigade, five are women.
According to BJP leader IK Jadeja, 25 out of 26 district panchayats in Gujarat are now with the BJP. Only Tapi district panchayat is left with the Congress in Gujarat.
The Congress has 19 members in the 27-member body of Gandhinagar district panchayat, while the BJP has eight members. The next general board meeting of Gandhinagar district panchayat is likely to be held on August 21. As nine members have joined the BJP, total seats of the party will be 17 against Congress’s 10.