NE NEWS SERVICE
GANDHINAGAR, MARCH 2
Ahead of crucial Rajya Sabha polls, an MLA of the Congress party on Monday offered Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister the post of chief minister if he were to leave the BJP and join the Congress along with his 20 MLAs on Monday which has led to a ruckus in the state’s political corridors. .
The incident happened during Question Hour in the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha on Monday when Congress MLA from Lathi in Amreli district, Veerji Thumarne made the offer to the state deputy chief minister. This statement has brought out the internal conflicts within the BJP’s Gujarat unit. It is also believed that Nitin Patel’s statement in the Vishwa Umiya Dham may have encouraged the opposition in the state to make this offer. Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel had said, I stand alone in front of everyone.
Usually, Congress legislators desert their party and join the BJP before the Rajya Sabha elections and the BJP-Congress engage in a make or break’ political tactics at this time. However, this recent development has led to the BJP coming to the deputy CM’s rescue. The president of Gujarat BJP claimed that Congress is targeting Nitin Patel.
This tug-of-war between the BJP and Congress in Gujarat is ahead of the casting of votes for the Rajya Sabha. Owing to their decreased numbers in the Vidhan Sabha, the BJP is looking at a loss of one seat in the Upper House of Parliament. Somewhere, the Congress has made headway with its political strategy concerning selection to the Rajya Sabha before the BJP could.
