Former Congress Legislators Alpesh Thakor and Dhavlsinh Zala are set to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat. Both – Thakor and Zala – tendered their resignation to Gujarat Assembly Speaker early this month after voting for BJP in Rajya Sabha by-polls in the state on July 5.
Both the rebels voted for BJP Candidates – S Jaishankar and Jugalji Thakor in the Rajya Sabha by-polls instead of Congress nominees.
Following which Congress filed a complaint with the Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi seeking disqualification of its rebel MLAs Alpesh Thakor and Dhavalsinh Zala. The Congress alleged that both have violated the constitutional provisions by voting against the party lines and has filed a complaint seeking to cancel their votes and envoke Anti-Defection Law.
Announcing the move to join BJP in the state, Zala on Monday said, ‘A core meeting of our Thakor Sena, a political outfit floated by Alpesh Thakor, held today and it been decided to that I (Zala) and Alpesh will join BJP. Alpesh Thakor was not present in the meeting.
Further revealing the details, Zala added that the core committee of the outfit has tasked Alpesh Thakor to negotiate with BJP leaders and fix a date for our joining that party.
Thakor, ahead of the national polls, had on April 10 announced his disassociation from the party and all party posts. Speaking to the media, Thakor had said that he will complete his 5 years as an MLA in Gujarat, However, he tendered his resignation from the assembly on July 5.
Alpesh Thakor quit the party in protest alleging that the Congress has ignored him and his Thakor community in the state in the national elections.
Alpesh Thakor, former MLA from Radhapur and an OBC Leader from Koli Thakor Community came into limelight after the Patel quota agitation of Gujarat in 2015. He had formed the Thakor Sena, an outfit of his OBC Thakor caste.
Before the December 2017 state elections, he had joined the Congress and later got elected from the Radhanpur assembly constituency in Patan district. While Zala got elected from Bayad in Sabarkantha district.
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