Junagadh: High drama unfolded at the Junagadh City-District Congress Office on Tuesday afternoon when Deepak Makwana, former Ward-15 Congress president and long-time party worker, attempted suicide by consuming phenyl during a meeting chaired by Saurashtra Zone in-charge Devendrasinh Yadav.

Makwana, who was immediately rushed to the Civil Hospital, alleged that he had been denied a party ticket multiple times due to “caste-based discrimination” by city Congress president Manoj Joshi and his father, former MLA Bhikhubhai Joshi. He claimed he had been associated with the Congress for the past 12 years and was overlooked for tickets in both the 2019 and 2022 municipal elections.

Frustrated, Makwana said he decided to end his life by drinking phenyl inside the meeting hall. His act created chaos during the meeting, after which the police and the Mamlatdar began recording statements.

City Congress president rejects allegations

Responding to the incident, city Congress president Manoj Joshi denied all allegations, calling Makwana’s claims “baseless and inappropriate.” Joshi said Makwana had switched to the BJP in 2019 and returned to the Congress ahead of the 2022 municipal polls, and had immediately demanded a ticket from Ward-15.

He clarified that ticket allotment is decided by election observers and state-level leadership, not by the city president. In Ward-15, the ticket was granted to another candidate based on reservation norms and voter demographics. Joshi questioned why Makwana had raised the issue after two years, calling the timing unjustified. DeshGujarat