- Aam Aadmi Party’s Isanpur ward president Girish Soni and Saijpur-Bogha ward’s women wing president Darshana Rathod (both from Ahmedabad) switched over to the BJP with their supporters
NE NEWS SERVICE
GANDHINAGAR, FEB 21
Former Gujarat Congress MLA Hirabhai Patel and several other party leaders joined the ruling BJP on Monday, the latest in desertions from the opposition outfit.
Patel along with nearly 200 of his supporters from Mahisagar district joined the BJP at its state headquarters in Gandhinagar, said a party release.
લિંબાયત વિધાનસભાના ધારાસભ્ય શ્રીમતી @MLASangitaPatil જી, સુરત શહેર પ્રમુખશ્રી @NiranjanZazmera જી, સુરત સ્ટેન્ડિંગ કમિટીના ચેરમેનશ્રી @pareshvnsgu જી તેમજ અખિલ ભારતીય સંત સમિતિના સાધુશ્રીઓ, સંતશ્રીઓ તેમજ મહંતશ્રીઓ ઉપસ્થિત રહ્યા હતા.(2/2)
— C R Paatil (Modi Ka Parivar) (@CRPaatil) February 20, 2022
The former legislator had won twice from the Lunawada Assembly seat in Mahisagar district in 2007 and 2012 elections on a Congress ticket. However, he was denied a ticket by the Congress for the 2017 polls.
Patel claimed the Congress does not value its committed workers and maintained he has joined the saffron outfit without any expectation.
અખિલ ભારતીય સંત સમિતિ, ગુજરાત પ્રેરિત હિન્દુ ધર્મ સેના અને તૃષિકુલ ગોધામ દ્વારા યોજાયેલા શાકોત્સવ કાર્યક્રમમાં હાજરી આપી. આ કાર્યક્રમમાં રક્તતુલા બદલ સર્વનો હૃદયપૂર્વક આભાર વ્યક્ત કરું છું.
(1/2) pic.twitter.com/GrOEkLurDq— C R Paatil (Modi Ka Parivar) (@CRPaatil) February 20, 2022
“I am not joining the BJP out of any expectation or to fight any election. I am joining the BJP because the Congress does not value its committed workers. Thus, my supporters have been asking me to join the BJP for some time.
“I will work to strengthen the party organisation” said Patel after joining the ruling party in the presence of sitting BJP MLA Jignesh Sevak and vice-president of Gujarat BJP Gordhan Zadafia.
Besides Patel, former Gujarat Congress spokesperson Bharat Desai, ex-convener of the party’s social media cell, Rakesh Goswami, and former AICC delegate Prashant Parmar also joined the ruling party separately, the release said.
Later in the day, Aam Aadmi Party’s Isanpur ward president Girish Soni and Saijpur-Bogha ward’s women wing president Darshana Rathod (both from Ahmedabad) switched over to the BJP with their supporters after resigning from the AAP, it said.
Social worker from Mansa town of Gandhinagar, Kripalsinh Chavda and religious leader Girnari Bapu also joined the ruling party on Monday, said the release.
Former state Congress spokesperson Jayrajsinh Parmar, who resigned from the party last week, on Sunday said he will join the BJP on February 22.
Assembly polls in Gujarat are due by 2022-end.
