Gujarat Cong confident of Ahmed Patel win, says Smriti Irani may lose

On the day of I-T raids against its Karnataka minister D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru and amidst rising pressure, Gujarat Congress on Wednesday again exuded confidence that its candidate for Rajya Sabha, Ahmed Patel, would win the elections on August 8.

Instead, the party has now traded guns on BJP stating that the chances of Union Minister of Textiles and I&B Ms Smriti Irani may end up losing her Rajya Sabha seat. “The victory of Ahmedbhai is assured. Their party president too could win the polls easily but they will now have to choose between Smriti Irani and their third candidate Balwantsinh Rajput. There are chances that Smriti Irani may lose,” Bharatsinh Solanki, Congress president, Gujarat, said. “The Chief Minister Rupani has also said that if Balwantsinh loses the election then it does not make difference. Perhaps he is trying to pacify his party men but there is a chance that Smriti Irani may lose elections.”

Solanki hit out at ruling BJP for what he called the use of government machinery to pressurize the party legislators before Rajya Sabha polls. “BJP has no ethics and they are biggest hypocrites and are behaving such…It is without an iota of respect for democracy and is trying to win the third seat to Rajya Sabha,” Solanki said.

The state Congress chief also took an indirect dig at the Election Commission by stating that it is rare for EC to postpone elections to Rajya Sabha. The polls to Upper House of Parliament were earlier slated for June 8 but were postponed to August 8 as it could have clashed with Presidential polls of July 17. “It appears that they (BJP) was giving final shape to some operation and so it must have been postponed,” he said.

Solanki also questioned introduction of NOTA, stating that it was erstwhile Atal Behari Vajpayee government that had decided against the use of NOTA in Rajya Sabha polls. He said that Vajpayee government had decided in favour of open voting on the basis of party Whip and six-year disqualification for legislator opposing whip. “This is laughable, they are going against their own elders,” Solanki said.

He also questioned BJP and media on seeking to defame Congress legislators for shifting to Bengaluru at times of floods in North Gujarat. “Only three (of the 44 legislators) are from flood affected - Govabhai, Rajsibhai and Joitabhai Patel. They allege that these legislators are in a resort in Bengaluru enjoying luxury. They are not,” he said. Solanki alleged that because BJP was using government machinery and pressure tactics by SP, DDOs, IT raids, the legislators decided to move to the safety of the Congress-ruled state. “The media too began alleging that these legislators had moved to enjoy. They should have been provided security so that they were not forced to leave their homes and constituency,” he said.