Rajiv Satav, Amit Chavda with Sundersinh Chauhan on Tuesday. (Source: Express Photo)In a boost to the Congress ahead of the next year’s Lok Sabha elections, former BJP minister Sundersinh Chauhan on Tuesday joined the party, “in protest against the anti-farmer policies of the BJP government”.
Chauhan has earlier served as an MLA for four terms and also as Minister of State (MoS) for the Social Justice and Empowerment department and Labour and Employment.
Chauhan was inducted into the Congress by state unit president Amit Chavda and party in-charge for Gujarat Rajiv Satav. He had resigned from the BJP a few days back.
In a letter to the BJP state president Jitu Vaghani, Chauhan on Tuesday accused the ruling party of being “anti-farmer” and “pro-urban”.
Addressing mediapersons, Chauhan said, “I have resigned from the BJP as the party and its government have become anti-farmer.”
He said that farmers were not getting reasonable minimum support price (MSP) for their produce despite tall promises made by the party in the run-up to 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He claimed that the ruling party was ignoring him and the entire farming community.
Chauhan represented Mahemdabad Assembly seat in Kheda taluka for four terms till 2012 when he was defeated by Congress candidate Gautam Chauhan. He was not given a ticket for the 2017 Assembly polls. Chauhan was also made a parliamentary secretary by the BJP in the past.
Satav said Chauhan’s experience will be useful for the party in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said another former BJP MLA Lalji Mer, who quit the party recently, would join the Congress Wednesday.
Mer won from the Dhandhuka Assembly seat as a BJP candidate only once in 2012. He lost as an Independent candidate from Limdi seat in Surendranagar district in 1995, and in 1998, and as a Congress candidate from Chotila in 2002.
He, however, did not contest in 2007 as he was not given ticket by any of the two parties. In 2009, he joined the BJP and contested Lok Sabha elections from Surendranagar seat against Congress party’s Somabhai Patel but was defeated. In 2012, he won as BJP candidate from Dhandhuka seat in 2012. The BJP did not field him in 2017.
Satav tells Cong workers to work hard for LS polls
Congress general secretary in-charge of Gujarat Rajiv Satav and state Congress president Amit Chavda on Tuesday evening attended a “sneh milan” programme of the party’s Ahmedabad City unit.
At the event, which was held on Sabarmati Riverfront, Satav asked party workers and leaders to work hard in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections to ensure that the Congress wins most of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
The event was attended by several Congress MLAs, leaders and a large number of party workers. “The fervour shown by the people was enthralling and reflects the support for the Congress,” Satav tweeted with photos of the event.
ENS
