Expelled from Cong, 7 MLAs resign as legislators, to join BJP

The seven rebel Congress legislators from Shankarsinh Vaghela camp on Friday tendered their resignations from Gujarat Assembly.

“These seven came to my house and tendered their resignation. They said that they were doing so without any coercion or without any pressure,” Ramanlal Vora, speaker of Gujarat Assembly, told mediapersons.

These seven legislators had voted against Congress official candidate Ahmed Patel in Rajya Sabha polls, that saw Patel, BJP president Amit Shah and Union textiles minister Smriti Irani making it to the Upper House of Parliament. The Congress had expelled all these seven amongst 14 legislators who had earlier quit party or voted against its official candidate.

Three of the six legislators who had resigned prior to Rajya Sabha polls in the state have already joined BJP, with one of them Balwantsinh Rajput, was nominated as third BJP candidate for RS. The status of other three is still uncertain.

The seven who put in their papers on Friday include Vaghela’s son and Bayad legislator Mahendrasinh Vaghela, two legislators whose votes were declared invalid in Rajya Sabha polls – Raghavji Patel representing Jamnagar rural constituency and Bholabhai Gohil of Jasdan constituency in Rajkot district. The others who quit Assembly include Godhra legislator C K Raulji, Mansa legislator Amit Chaudhari, Jamanagar (North) legislator Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and Sanand legislator Karamshi Patel. Karamshi was one of the 44 legislators who had been to Bengaluru but cross-voted on the polling day against Ahmed Patel.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Assembly, Ramanlal Vora said that Karamshi had informed him that during the voting, he was being prodded by Congress election agent Shaktisinh Gohil to show his vote to BJP election agent present then.

“Karamshi Patel claimed that he was instigated by the election officer of Congress to show his vote to others. However, he did not show it,” Vora told mediapersons.

The claim later substantiated by Karamshi, who in an interview to local television channel said that he was indeed being told to show his vote to BJP election agent. “I said (to Shaktisinh) that you are our election agent and that is enough. He did not say anything to me after that and neither has anyone else approached me since,” Karmashi said.

The Sanand legislator said that he took the decision to vote against Ahmed Patel in a spur of moment and that there was no money that changed hands. “God has given me enough. Neither Congress nor BJP had offered any money,” he claimed.
 
While 13 of the 14 Gujarat legislators who quit Congress so far have resigned as legislators, the leader of their faction, Shankarsinh Vaghela, is yet to put in his papers as a legislator. Vaghela had on July 21, whilst quitting Congress, had said that he would resign as a legislator after Rajya Sabha polls and that he would not be joining either BJP or going back to Congress.