Finally, the Gujarat Congress High Command in the state has posted a full-time Party President and Leader of Opposition. The former leaders state party president Amit Chavda and opposition leader Sukhram Rathva had tendered their resignation 2 and a half years back.
This was after Congress failed to secure a single seat in the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat. There are 26 seats in Lok Sabha and 182 Assembly seats in Gujarat.
Even as Deepak Babaria’s name was in circulation till mid-noon yesterday; the party reportedly tilted in the favour of former MP Jagdish Thakor as the Party President.
Manish Doshi, spokesperson for Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee told Vibes of India that “Jagdish Thakor will be the new Party President”. The party has reportedly zeroed in on Sukhram Rathva as Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the assembly.
The appointments come after intense factionalism, internal bickering and disputes within the party. Gujarat faces crucial Assembly Elections in December 2022.
Instead of consolidating itself, Congress has ensured that several of its members quit the party and join the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Traditionally, Gujarat has been a two party state. But AAP has been consolidating itself, denting Congress votes.
On the other hand, Congress faces stiff opposition as its Muslim vote back has gravitated towards All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). Both AAP and AIMIM, political observers say, are likely to indirectly help Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by cutting in Congress votes.
This comes after, BJP recently reshuffled their entire Gujarat cabinet when former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani resigned on September 11. The new CM Bhupendra Patel, a first-time MLA from Ghatlodia, was sworn in on September 16 with 24 new faces.
Thakor, who represents the Patan constituency, beat Congress veteran Bharat Solanki and newbie Hardik Patel to the post ahead of the assembly election next year. Both Solanki and Patel were also in the run for the role of party president, sources in the know of the development told Vibes of India (VoI).
Thakor, a matriculate from N.S Vidyalaya, Naroda, was also elected to the 15th Lok Sabha after two subsequent stints at Gujarat Assembly. He belongs to the OBC community.
The former MP had resigned from all party positions back in 2016 owing to the differences with the leaders. Back then, the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) was led by Bharatsinh Solanki and the Leader of Opposition was Shankersinh Vaghela. Thakor resigned ahead of the 2017 assembly polls.
Rathva, on the other hand, was a member of Gujarat Legislative Assembly in 2017 and represented the Chhota Udaipur constituency.
Rathva also holds a matriculation degree. According to his election affidavit, however, he has two criminal cases against him – one for trespassing and another for ‘rioting with weapons’.
Talking to VoI, former CLP leader, Paresh Dhanani, said, “I am happy with the decision made. Everyone in the party should get a chance to lead and share responsibilities. We are consistently working towards making our party and Gujarat a better state for the citizens.”
Jayrajsinh Parmar, spokesperson for Congress told VoI, “change is important. Previous leaders have done well.”
When asked about the caste being a parameter for the selection of Thakor and Rathva, he said, “They both belong to the larger caste groups. And in democracy, the majority wins. However, it is not the only parameter. They both are very good orators which means they will be able to put their thoughts in front of the public better.”
“Besides, they both come from the grass root levels. So they are very much connected to the public and have proven themselves in the past.”
“The combination of OBC and Adivasi is unique to Congress and they both have proved their abilities in the past.”
Talking about the other leaders’ candidature for the Party President like Bharat Solanki and Hardik Patel, he said, “anybody can enter politics if they want to be part of it. Everyone is allowed to dream.”
“Bharati Solanki has already had senior positions in the assembly and the party. Both Solanki and Patel withdrew themselves from the race for the roles.”
“Ultimately, it comes down to the party’s interests.”
“Humare leaders chunke aaye hain. BJP leaders ka toh lottery laga hai. (Our leaders are elected. But BJP leaders won a lottery)”
The Gujarat Congress changed the leadership ahead of the assembly poll slated to be held next year. Calling the change a “politics of caste”, Yamal Vyas, BJP Gujarat Spokesperson, said, “We are confident that we will take over Congress in the upcoming elections.”
“We don’t play by the politics of caste. We follow the politics of development and nationalism. It took them over two and a half years to select a party president. So, I don’t see any impact to our party.”
The BJP had recently made Bhupendra Patel the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Patel belongs to the Patidar community, believed to have a large influence on the election results.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party Gujarat President Gopal Italia congratulated GPCC on the change. He said, “I hope the opposition will work as how they should. The aim of the opposition should be to ensure that the plight of the citizens reach the Vidhan Sabha. But BJP and Congress have an underlying collaboration.”
“It doesn’t matter who the leader is unless their mindset is changed. They both (BJP and Congress) are working together to rule over Gujarat. But AAP is trying to reach to the masses and solve their real-life problems.”
