Gujarat on Monday witnessed a high political drama a day before the Rajya Sabha polls with both the Congress and the BJP pulling out all stops for the prestigious battle involving Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
While the 44 Congress legislators returned from Bengaluru as a united lot on Monday morning, the JD(U) threw a spanner in the Congress plan by deciding to support the BJP candidates. The NCP too may go with the BJP. The party will take the final call on Tuesday, said NCP leader Praful Patel.
However, NCP MlA from Kutiyana Assembly constituency in Porbander district Kandhal Jadeja said, “Our leader Praful Patel has issued a whip to cast vote in favour of the BJP candidates.’’
The party MlA’s assertion came as a major surprise as the NCP had throughout claimed it would back Ahmed Patel. The NCP has been so far a Congress ally and had backed the Opposition candidates in both the President and Vice-President’s elections.
In fact during the day, Ahmed Patel claimed that the NCP was going to back him. “I just got the message that they have announced support and will issue a whip as well,” the Congress leader said five hours before the NCP MlA officially dropped a bombshell.
If NCP MlA’s claim comes true, it would be uphill task for Ahmed Patel to retain his seat for the fifth time. However, Patel sounded confident that he will retain his seat.
Under tremendous pressure over resignations of its six MlAs from the Assembly, the Congress had shifted 44 legislators to a resort in Bengaluru on July 28 to curb poaching bid by the BJP. These resignations reduced Congress’ strength in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly from 57 to 51.
Of the six MlAs who resigned from the Assembly, three instantly joined the ruling BJP and one of them — Balwantsinh Rajput — became saffron party’s candidate for the RS polls along with BJP president Amit Shah and Union Minister Smriti Irani. Ahmed Patel needs support of 45 legislators to win a berth in the Rajya Sabha.
Of the remaining 51 Congress MlAs, seven including veteran politician Shankersinh Vaghela didn’t board flight to Bengaluru.
Rebel BJP MlA Nalin Kotadia, who voted for Congress candidate Meira Kumar in the presidential polls, has changed his mind and decided to vote for the BJP. From the Congress point of view, fear of cross-voting looms large. Even Vaghela, who announced to support Patel a few days back, has decided to give his vote to his relative Balwantsinh Rajput.
After returning from Bengaluru, all 44 Congress MlAs were taken to a resort near Anand town under police escorts, nearly 75 km from Ahmedabad which is close to Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki’s native Borsad. They will be brought to Gandhinagar on Tuesday morning for the voting for the three RS seats.
As the Assembly building is undergoing renovation, the RS elections will be held at Swarnim Sankul-II building which houses Vijay Rupani Government’s junior Ministers. With four candidates filing their nominations for the three RS seats from the State, there will be a contest for the RS polls in the State for the first time in over two decades.
Meanwhile, BJP’s national president Amit Shah on Monday held series of meetings at the party’s State headquarters ‘Shri Kamalam’ on the outskirts of Gandhinagar.