- Senior party leader Shankarsinh Vaghela quit the Congress on his 77th birthday
- The Gujarat lawmaker said he would not join any other political party, including the BJP
- Vaghela had earlier alleged that the Congress “sacked him 24 hours ago”
- Congress’ Randeep Surjewala dismissed Vaghela’s claim as “baseless arguments”
- Vaghela lashed out at the Congress for being unprepared for the upcoming Gujarat assembly polls
- Gujarat Congress had warned Vaghela not to “play any politics” under the guise of his birthday celebrations
- The resignation comes amid reports that 11 Congress MLAs voted for NDA’s Presidential candidate Ramnath Kovind
Vaghela's Exit Could Affect Ahmed Patel's Re-Election to Rajya Sabha
Gujarat Congress stalwart Shankarsinh Vaghela's decision to quit the party may cast a shadow on the prospects of Sonia Gandhi's confidante Ahmed Patel's re-election to the Rajya sabha.
According to sources in the party, Vaghela has the support of around a dozen MLAs, and if they follow suit, it may put into jeopardy Patel's chances of securing a fourth Rajya Sabha term from his home state.
Patel is Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary.
Congress has 57 MLAs in Gujarat and its candidate would require votes of 47 of them to get elected.
Patel's current term ends on 18 August. Though the party is yet to announce its candidate for the upcoming elections, it is seen as almost certain that it would be Patel.
Vaghela's Exit 'Unfortunate', Says Congress
The Gujarat Congress on Friday said it was “unfortunate” that senior leader Shankarsinh Vaghela was quitting the party.
“The Congress, in the last 20 years, gave many opportunities to Vaghela. He was made a Union minister, the state party chief, leader of opposition (in the Assembly). Party chief Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi had faith in him and that is why he was appointed to these posts,” Ashok Gehlot, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in- charge for Gujarat, told reporters in New Delhi.
“I do not know why has he done this...Whether he has done it under pressure from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. What was the pressure?,” he wondered.
Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki, however, sought to play down the impact Vaghela's exit would have on the party in the Assembly polls due later this year.
“I firmly believe his resignation will have not have any impact and the Congress will win with a two-thirds majority as the people of Gujarat are very smart,” he said.
BJP Says Vaghela Was 'Humiliated'
BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya on Friday said, “Vaghela has become Congress-mukt today. He was facing humiliation in that party. Now, we would have to see who else will be Congress-mukt.”
“The Congress appears to be directionless. It does not have any programme for the uplift (of the marginalised sections of the society) or vision for the progress of the country. They have lost states after states,” said Pandya.
Party Leaders Try to Placate Vaghela
As the sudden move by him shook the state Congress, several leaders, including former state party President Siddharth Patel and AICC spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil, met him and urged him not to announce his retirement at the event on Friday.
Speculations are also rife that Vaghela has made his mind to part with the Congress, if not retirement.
Vaghela had earlier said that all the 57 Congress MLAs along with two of NCP and one from JD(U) have been invited for the event in Gandhinagar on Friday.
This is not a show of strength. I just wanted to respect the feelings of my supporters, especially those from my constituency Kapadvanj.Vaghela
However, the Congress has asked its party members and MLAs not to attend tomorrow's meeting. "We hope that no Congress MLAs or workers will attend the meeting," Siddarth Patel said.
On 24 June, while addressing a meeting of his supporters in Gandhinagar, Vaghela had said he would not follow the Congress leadership if it continued on its present suicidal path in Gujarat, where elections are due this year.