Gujarat Congress MLA says more will quit, Ahmed Patel faces tough Rajya Sabha poll
The Congress will find it tough to re-elect senior leader Ahmed Patel to the Rajya Sabha after a string of defections by party lawmakers in the state, a senior Congress leader has said, indicating he too could resign and join the BJP.
Congress MLA Raghavjee Patel, considered close to former party strongman Shankersinh Vaghela, said more opposition lawmakers in Gujarat are likely to resign in the coming days.
The Congress has been jolted in Gujarat after at least six MLAs switched over to the saffron party, barely months before crucial assembly polls in the state, where it is out of to power for the past 22 years.
“The state party leadership, along with Congress high command, is responsible for whatever is happening right now. In the coming days, around 20 Congress MLAs would sever ties with the party. Thus, it will be impossible for Ahmed Patel to win the Rajya Sabha polls,” Raghavjee told reporters.
“When I met Ahmed bhai recently, I cautioned him about this situation and urged him not to contest polls, as I already saw this coming. I firmly believe the Congress cannot win the Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat,” said the MLA from Jamnagar (rural) seat.
Patel, a Rajya Sabha member since 1993, is also the political secretary of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. He filed his nominations for the August 8 polls this week.
Patel’s opponent, Balwantsinh Rajput, is also a former Congress MLA who joined the BJP recently.
