Strong Koli leader Bavalia joins BJP

Kuvarji Bavalia, strong Koli leader of Saurashtra region and sitting MLA from Jasdan constituency in Rajkot district, brought political quiver in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home-State Gujarat ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls by joining the BJP after abandoning the Congress on Tuesday.

The All-India Koli Samaj president was inducted as senior minister in Vijay Rupani led BJP government within few hours of his resignation as Congress MLA. Though the ministerial office has been allocated to Bavalia but portfolio would be allocated to him on Wednesday, probably during weekly cabinet meeting at Chief Minister’s office.

Citing reason for resignation the four-time MLA and one-time Member of Parliament as Congress candidate blamed on All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Rahul Gandhi for adopting caste based politics. “I am in public life for three decades. As Congress party member I worked with sincerity and honesty. In past few years, it has become power game within the opposition party which led to internal conflicts. In such condition one can’t do work in public interest,” said the disgruntled senior Congress leader.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bavalia said that PM was working for the interest of people and fruit of development was reaching to grassroots level. He also admired Vijay Rupani led BJP government in Gujarat. It is worth mentioning that in 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Kuvarji won from Rajkot constituency which is considered to be BJP bastion. Despite the fact, he neither got ministerial berth in UPA-2 government nor he was given any important position in Congress organization.

Post 2017 assembly polls, Bavalia was ignored by Congress leadership as Amit Chavda and Paresh Dhanani – both are much junior to him were promoted as Leader of Opposition in the state assembly and Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) respectively.

On Tuesday morning Bavalia who runs several educational institutions in Rajkot district sent an e-mail to the AICC president informing him about his decision to quit the Congress and straight away drove to the official residence of the state Assembly speaker Rajendra Trivedi in the state capital Gandhinagar and submitted his resignation as Jasdan MLA. After that he went to state BJP headquarter – Shree Kamalam – situated on the outskirts of Gandhinagar where Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani and other senior BJP leaders were waiting to welcome him in saffron fold. In the evening, he took oath at Raj-Bhavan in Terming Bavalia as an asset to saffron brigade, Vaghani said that as part of BJP led government, Bavalia would be able to work more efficiently in public interest. His vast experience in public life would be beneficial for the ruling party also, he added.

On the contrary, Congress president Chavda termed Bavalia’s resignation as betrayal to voters as they elected him as Congress candidate for the five years. 

In the by-election, people of Jasdan would give fitting reply to Bavalia by ensuring his defeat, he added.

Reacting on the GPCC president’s remarks, Bavalia said that before leaving Congress he consulted his voters and only after that he decided to join BJP.