Shankersinh may join NCP on 23 August:Reports

There’s buzz in Gandhinagar and also wide spread media reports in Gujarati dailies that former Chief Minister and Gujarat Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela is going to join Sharad Pawar led Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) on 23 August through a grand rally exhibiting his strength.

However Shankersinh camp is not supporting this news terming it as rumor.

According to sources, Shankersinh had recently visited Mumbai to meet Praful Patel as Sharad Pawar was traveling abroad at that time. Coming back from Mumbai, Shankersinh met his chosen loyalists and moved a proposal of joining NCP. However his supporters asked Shankersinh to wait before leaving Congress party.

Shankersinh wanted to get nomination of Congress party for Rajya Sabha seat in Gujarat, however he was denied. Later he was expecting Cabinet berth in central ministry, but was deprived.

According to sources, Congress party had hinted to nominate Shankersinh on Rajya Sabha seat next year in March when sitting MP Pravin Rashtrapal’s term is going to end. However Shankersinh was not ready to wait till March. Moreover he had no faith in the party that he would be actually nominated in March 2012 to Rajya Sabha.

Shankersinh lost last Lok Sabha election in Godhra. Since then he is just spending time at his sprawling mansion just outside Gandhinagar. His joining NCP may not affect Congress party in 2012 December assembly election on large scale. He can harm little in parts of north and central Gujarat.