Top sources in BJP have reliably told that there are as many as 13 MLAs in Congress party who are in talks with BJP for switching over and joining them before the crucial Rajya Sabha elections. According to local Newspaper Gujarat siyasat that This time around the state of Gujarat might see a repeat of the events that had taken place in 2017 when Ahmed Patel’s Rajya Sabha seat had gone into the election.
While the BJP has claimed that they are comfortable with the numbers, there are sources confirming that the Congress MLAs are in talks with the top leadership.
Several Congress MLAs have also claimed that there was a meeting with the top Congress leaders of Gujarat. “There were several Congress MLAs who were called for a meeting and told explicitly to make sure they are not swayed if BJP approaches them. This is a routine that happens before all elections because we are not alien to BJP’s tactics. But they don’t have the numbers this time. Congress is united as ever”, said a top Congress leader.
Amid the political turmoil in Madhya Pradesh government, cracks may arise in Gujarat’s Congress unit. According to reports, Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Paresh Dhanani said that there is no dispute in Congress party in the state.
For Gujarat seats, March 13 would be the last date for filing of nominations. Scrutiny of papers will be done on March 16 whereas the date for withdrawal will be March 18. Polling will be held between 9 am and 4 pm March 26. Counting of votes will be undertaken at 5 pm the same day. The entire process will be completed on March 30.
According to the rules governing Rajya Sabha elections, the BJP can win only two seats and the opposition Congress the remaining two. The BJP can retain the three seats only if there are defections from other parties.
As of now, Congress, with 73 legislators, can barely manage to send two candidates to Rajya Sabha, but even a minor defection of a few legislators can change that scenario,” a party leader said, adding there are already talks of a few legislators in touch with the BJP to either cross vote during voting or abstain from voting.
