New Delhi: There seems to be no end to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s troubles. A day after the grand alliance in Bihar crumbled despite his best efforts to save it, a rebellion has hit the Gujarat state unit with three Congress MLAs quitting the party and joining the BJP ahead of the crucial voting for Rajya Sabha seats next month.
On Friday, three Congress MLAs, Balvantsinh Rajput, Tejashree Patel and P.I. Patel, left the party and the Assembly in a setback which comes within a week of party heavyweight and former chief minister Shankarsinh Vaghela parting ways amid acrimony.
All three MLAs submitted their resignation letters to Assembly Speaker Ramanlal Vora in Gandhinagar.
The trio can’t vote in the August 8 Rajya Sabha polls as they are no longer members of the House. They joined the BJP in Ahmedabad in the evening in the presence of BJP national president Amit Shah.
The BJP, which is going all out to strengthen its position in Rajya Sabha, fielded Mr Rajput as its third candidate for the Upper House from Gujarat. Earlier, the party had named Mr Shah and Union minister Smriti Irani for the Rajya Sabha from the state.
The Congress, on the other hand, has fielded Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, for the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.
