congress: Gujarat Congress’ date with attrition continues unabated; party clueless

Congress MLA from Khedbrahma Ashwin Kotwal on Tuesday joined the BJP, becoming the 16th sitting MLA to join the ruling party since the 2017 Gujarat elections. In the state, not only the sitting MLAs but other veteran Congress workers are also exiting the Congress.

Last month, one of the richest leaders of the Congress, Indranil Rajguru, moved to the Aam Aadmi Party in Rajkot along with a senior local leader, Vashram Sagathia. Former Vadgam MLA Manilal Vaghela joined BJP in Vadgam. Prior to that, Jairajsinh Parmar, one of the most learned and aggressive leaders of northern Gujarat, also shifted to the BJP, breaking his decades-long association with the Congress.

Congress working president Hardik Patel had recently removed Congress affiliation from his social media bio, fueling speculations about his departure. However, according to people familiar with the matter, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is trying to retain Patel, who has taken on the state leadership.

Without naming anyone, Patel alleged that some people in the Congress wanted him to leave the party.

While the Congress officially alleges that MLAs are being poached through various means, senior party leaders admit off the record that there could be a problem with the state doing more than what the party is doing. Is.

A senior Congress leader said, “It is painful to see a situation where people are really angry with the ruling party, but as the opposition we are unaware, workers are completely discouraged and our leaders are living in their own world.” be identified.

Originally published at Pen 18