The Bharatiya Janata Party has further strengthened its position in Gujarat keeping upcoming lok Sabha elections in mind. A senior party leader could persuade sitting Congress MlA Bavku Undhad to rejoin the BJP on Monday.
MlA from lathi-Babara constituency in Amreli district for the last five terms, Undhad is having a stronghold in leuva Patel community in the district. On Monday around 1.00 pm, he resigned as MlA and put in papers from the primary membership of the Congress.
Since the beginning of his political career, 57-year-old Undhad remained loyal to former BJP Chief Minister and his mentor Keshubhai Patel.
In fact it was Patel, who lifted him from Panchayat politics in 1995 gave him opportunity to fight Assembly election. Since then he retained the seat as BJP MlA in 1998 as well as 2002 Assembly elections and became Minister of State in Keshubhai and Modi Governments.
However, after Keshubhai stepped down as Chief Minister, unlike many of his colleague, Undhad remained loyal to Keshubhai. It was in 2007, when discontent against Modi from Saurashtra based leaders was at its peak, Undhad resigned from the BJP along with Gujarat Parivatan Party's (GPP) chief Gordhan Zadaphia.
Undhad was one of the BJP leaders then, who used to share the dais with anti-Modi group in 2007 during huge rallies, especially in Saurashtra region. Finally, he joined the Congress and fought election as the Congress candidate, despite having RSS root and won from the same constituency.
looking to his stronghold in Amreli district, even the Congress repeated him in the 2012 Assembly elections from the same constituency.
With Keshubhai almost retired from Politics after he resigned as the president of GPP and his youngest son Bharat also opted to join BJP rather than his father's political outfit, Undhad also decided to join saffron brigade after taking blessings from his political mentor.
While welcoming him, Gujarat BJP president RC Faldu said that Undhad was basically a BJP worker with a clean image and it would be a win-win situation for Bavkubhai as well as the BJP.
"I have returned to my mother institution," Undhad said, adding that he took the decision after evaluating the overall political scenario of the country as it is my duty as a Gujarati to support prime ministerial candidate from the State.
"Modi is set to become second Gujarati to become Prime Minister of India after Morarji Desai. Considering the fact, I decided to join BJP," he said, while replying question from reporters. He also clarified that, he would fight election from the same constituency in the by-election as BJP candidate.