Ahmed Patel confident about his victory, says party has enough numbers

Anand: Ahmed Patel, Rajya Sabha MP, senior Congress leader and political secretary of party’s national president Sonia Gandhi is candidate in three-seat Rajya Sabha elections, polling for which will take place tomorrow in Gandhinagar.

There were total 182 MLAs. Congress has 57 MLAs, BJP 121, NCP 2, JDU 1 and disolved party GPP had 1 MLA. After announcement of Rajya Sabha polls 6 Congress MLAs resigned from the party and from the post of MLA. Their resignations are accepted. Congress number is down to 51 therefore. Even among these 51, as many as 7 MLAs are not with Congress. Congress candidate Ahmed Patel needs support of 45 MLAs to sail through the Rajya Sabha polls. Other candidates are Amit Shah, Smriti Irani and Balwantsinh Rajput.

To avoid poaching, Congress had shifted its 44 MLAs to party-ruled Karnataka State. The MLAs are now back in Gujarat and camping at Neejanand Resort in Central Gujarat. Ahmed Patel who was at Taj hotel since last night reached Nijanand Resort today to meet the MLAs. He also interacted with the media persons. Presented below is highlights of that conversation:

Has this election become a prestige issue?

There’ no question of prestige. I am contesting the polls as representative of party. I have full trust on our MLAs and the results will surely be good and in our favour.

You have 44 MLAs here, but you still need one more MLA to win!

See, there are other party MLAs too. They are also party’s members. 7 members have not taken decision. Then there are NCP, JDU and others too. I am sure the result will be good.

Who will Shankersinh vote for?

Shankersinh had himself said he would give me his vote, and I am sure that he would stick to his statement.

NCP yesterday signaled that it may not support Congress in this election

Today there are different signals if you are aware. Their general secretary has openly said this.

The BJP side claims that MLAs among 44 who are here are going to vote for BJP candidates!

When result will arrive you would know. Even we expect their members to vote for us.

This is first Rajya Sabha polls post 1996!

That is exactly the point I want to make. Why they forced this election? We had 57 members, they had 16 less, then why this all was needed? The way defection is attempted and the way they have started targeting(people) I believe our democracy is becoming Banana Republic. The way State, Centre agencies are active, the way they are doing surveillance including surveillance on myself,the way family members of MLAs are tortured. Their target was defection of 22-25 MLAs. They wanted this election to be over on 1st of August itself but they failed and therefore we had to take our MLAs to a place outside. And I salute my MLAs for their determination. Two of them had death of close relatives but they said they would not return and go to home only after casting their vote. The result has arrived, Congress has won.

Will MLAs do cross voting or use NOTA?

It depends on MLA. After all it’s democracy, who will do what. But I am not only optimistic but very confidant that we will win.

We have given them whip that we expect they vote for us. Those who don’t obey whip will face disqualification.Those who will not show their ballot to agents will face actions as per the rules. We will have sufficient numbers and perhaps you will surprise with the figure.

Running copy from Anand

Anand: Political Secretary to Congress Presidnet Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel today expressed confidence of his win in the Rajyasabha election to be held tomorrow and alleged that the tactics used by ruling BJP for ensuring his defeat has turned the country in to a ‘banana republic’.

Talking to newsmen Patel also claimed that he was contesting the election as an individual Congress candidate and not as the political secretary of Mrs Gandhi.

Patel claimed that he himself has been put under surveillance by the state machinery and refuted the claims of his poltical opponents that there was any FIR against him terming it totally baseless.

He also claimed that he believed that Shankersinh Vaghela would keep his promise to vote for him. Patel said that he also did not rule out the possibility of cross voting and use of NOTA in the elections by ruling BJP MLA’s.

Patel said, ‘I have complete faith that the results would be good and in our favour. We have 44 MLA’s with full commitment with us. Apart from them there are seven more of our party. There are MLA’s from NCP and JDU and others also. Even Shankersinh ji has made a promise to vote for me and I have full faith that he would stick by it,’ he said.

He claimed that the ruling BJP has turned the country in to a Banana republic by the worst kind of targeting of his party. ‘It is no more a democracy it seems, it has turned in to a banana republic. Our MLA’s are under surveillance, even I am under surveillance. The family members of our MLA’s were tortured.. In fact the plan of the BJP was to manage defection of 20 to 25 Congress MLA’s and ensure my defeat even before the election by August 1. But I salute the commitment of my MLA’s, 2 of whom despite deaths of close relatives continued to remain with others at Ba. I am not only optimistic about my prospects but am fully confident of my win. I also think that owing to party whip 7 other MLA’s of Congress would also vote for me,’ he said adding that the party would take action as per rule against those going against it whip.

Patel, who was seeking a fifth time entry in to the upper house, said that he was contesting the election as a Congress candidate and not as the political secretary to Sonia Gandhi. He also said that it was up to the BJP camp to answer whether they have turned this election in to an Ahmed Patel vs Amit Shah affair or not.

To a query regarding the absence of Congress MLA’s from flood hit areas of Gujarat, Patel said the reasons have already been mentioned and he did not want to repeat those things. He however questioned as to why the chief minister went to flood hit Banaskantha after five days while the Congress MLA’s and their family members of local Congress MLA’s were active since the beginning.

Meanwhile Patel, senior party leader Rajiv Shukla, Arjun Modhwadia and Gujarat Congres president have reached at the private resort near here where the 44 Congress MLA’s have been flocked.

DeshGujarat