Keeping an eye on 2019 Lok Sabha polls, All India Congress Committee (AICC) leadership choose 41-year-old Paresh Dhanani – a Patidar leader as Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly.
The decision of the high command was endorsed official by Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) by electing Dhanani as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party. The third time MLA from Patidar dominated Amreli constituency in Saurashtra region will have support of two other young MLA Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani in the House to corner ruling party.
Though lobbying for the senior Congressman Kuvarji Bavalia was done for the coveted post, but finally the Congress leadership resorted to Patidar card. Bavalia belongs to Koli community which has more than 17 per cent population in the State. Pro-quota Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who openly supported Congress party in the 2017 Assembly polls, backed Dhanani.
Interestingly after the selection of Dhanani as LoP, Gujarat Congress in-charge Ashok Gehlot claimed that the Amreli MLA was given the post on the basis of work he did for the party and people and not on the basis of caste or region after taking opinions of the Congress legislatures. Gehlot said that as Gujarat Congress secretary he did excellent work. Even Congress president Rahul Gandhi immediately agreed on his name, he added.
In the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, Congress has strength of 77. Moreover, three independent MLA’s including that of Mevani have supported the Opposition party. With this the strength of Congress would be 80 in the House.