By our correspondent, Rajkot/Ahmedabad, 6 June 2013

A group of Koli community workers of Gujarat Congress led by sulking Rajkot Lok Sabha MP Kunvarji Bavalia will meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday in New Delhi to make representation about “injustice’ to Koli community in Congress. The meeting according to sources is scheduled at 10.00 am.

Surendranagar Lok Sabha MP Somabhai Patel, Govindbhai Bavalia, Sharad Talsania, Pravin Sorani, Karsan Vegad, Haresh Jadav etv are part of this group.

Bavalia, unhappy with the party after not inducted into union ministry in last cabinet reshuffle beleives that Saurashtra should get representation in union ministry. He believes that Koli community that has always been loyal to Congress party is not getting deserving place in either organization or government.

However recent facts don’t support Bavalia’s observation that Koli community has always backed Congress party, and he is influential Koli community leader.

Bavalia was senior MLA of Congress party regularly elected from Jasdan. He surprised everyone through his victory on Rajkot Lok Sabha seat in 2009. Rajkot is traditionally a BJP bastion, but Bavalia won the election and created upset. His down time started when his daughter couldn’t win by-poll of Jasdan seat that he had vacated after winning Lok Sabha. Bavalia himself lost the assembly election last year in Botad which is a Koli community dominated seat. Congress party was expecting Bavalia to ensure victory on several Koli community dominated seats, but Bavalia himself lost the election, and couldn’t meet the expectation. In the last expansion of union ministry, Bavalia was hoping for berth, but he and Somabhai Patel(another Koli community leader whose son recently lost assembly by-poll, and whose Surendranagar Lok Sabha seat is now fully represented by BJP MLAs in assembly) were not selected. It is believed that Bavalia is in touch with former Congress leader and Porbandar BJP MP Vitthal Radadia who joined BJP early this year.Radadia has reportedly talked to Bavalia about injustice to Saurashtra leaders by Congress. When Radadia was in Congress, he too was hopeful for cabinet berth, but due to infamous gun bandishing event, he lost any chance for cabinet inclusion. He too had termed it as injustice to Saurashtra region.

Congress has three MPs elected from Saurashtra region. Bavalia and Somabhai belong to Koli community, while Jamnagar MP Vikram Madam is from Ahir community. In recent by-polls and in last assembly elections, none of three could ensure good number of seats in their own Lok Sabha seat area. All of them also failed to influence voters of their caste in other seats.

Before leaving the party, Vitthal Radadia was hoping to become leader of opposition in assembly or state president of party. Bavalia also believes that he is capable to become party president. A few years back, he was made executive president of Gujarat Congress along with another gentleman. Both executive president were working under the state party president.