At a time when Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is struggling to continue its alliance with the Congress in Maharashtra in view of the upcoming Assembly elections, the political outfit of the strong Maratha leader lost its sole municipality in Gujarat.
The only NCP-ruled Ranavav municipality in coastal Porbander district became saffronised as 13 NCP councilors, including president of the municipality decided to join the BJP recently. Besides, NCP councilors, prominent co-operative leader of Junagadh district Manubhai Khunti and other Congress leaders in newly carved Gir-Somnath also joined the BJP in the same function organised at the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi.
Samat Gogan Odedara, president of Ranavav Munici-pality said that his and other NCP councilors were deeply connected with the BJP ideology. “Our decision to join the BJP would put our town on development path,” said Odedara.
Senior Gujarat Minister and Porbander MlA Babu Bokhiria welcomed all the NCP councilors and Congress leaders by garlanding them with saffron scarf. Of the 27 councilors, 13 are from the NCP and 7 each from the BJP and Congress. With 13 NCP councilors joiningthe BJP, the saffron party’s strength goes to 20.