t Thakor had resigned from all positions within the Congress in April this year.Gujarat Congress legislators Alpesh Thakor and Dhavalsinh Zala resigned from the state assembly Friday, apparently after they voted against Congress candidates in the bypolls for two Rajya Sabha seats.
“The Congress observer tried to create a lot of issues over my vote, so you can understand for whom did I vote,” Alpesh told The Indian Express after casting his vote. The bye-election is being held as the two Rajya Sabha seats fell vacant after BJP leaders Amit Shah and Smriti Irani, who were elected to Lok Sabha, resigned.
“People from Congress party were insulting us & people again & again. Leaders were not listening to small workers of the party. Considering everything, I have resigned from the post of Congress MLA,” Thakor was quoted as saying by ANI.
Read | Gujarat: Voting underway for bypolls to two Rajya Sabha seats
Of the total strength of 182 MLAs, 175 are qualified to exercise their franchise this time. In a bid to avoid poaching or horse trading, the Congress had shifted 65 of its total 71 MLAs to a resort two days ago.
Last month, the Congress had approached the Gujarat High Court seeking directions to the assembly speaker for disqualifying Thakor after he resigned from the party’s membership. Thakor had resigned from all positions within the Congress in April this year.
“Today I quit from all the positions in Congress. Before this, during 2017 Assembly elections Thakor Sena, with its huge following, had supported the Congress at a time when the party was struggling. There was a constant decline in its mandate, at that time the poor community members stood by the party. We only dreamt that the poor Thakor people, unemployed youth and farmers would be uplifted,” Alpesh had said.
Alpesh, the president of OBC SC ST Ekta Manch and Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena, was appointed as All India Congress Committee secretary for Bihar after he joined the party ahead of 2017 Assembly elections. He had said that out of 77 Congress candidates who won in the 2017 Assembly elections, 43 MLAs won due to support from the Thakor Sena.
