Ahmedabad/Bharuch:

The sole JD-U MLA from Gujarat Chhotu Vasava, whose crucial vote paved the way, for victory of congress candidate and Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel in August 8 Rajyasabha election in the state, today claimed that he had received a phone call from NCP general secretary and former union minister Praful Patel on the poll-eve urging him to vote for BJP candidate Balwantsinh Rajput.

The statement of Vasava came at a time when Patel a little while earlier himself told the newsmen in Ahmedabad today that the party had issued whip for its two MLAs to vote for Patel but one of them did not follow it.

Vasava, deemed as the key vote of the somewhat miraculous win of Patel, claimed that the NCP leader had given him a call on the poll eve urging him to vote for Rajput. He did not fall prey to it and voted on the voice of his conscience.

Earlier Patel on the other had told newsmen today that one of the two MLAs (Kandhal Jadeja) did not vote as per the party whip.

He, however, took a dig at Congress claiming that the party itself was in a sense responsible for break in long standing tradition of selection of Rajyasabha members from Gujarat without election. ‘The large scale cross voting of around 14 MLAs from the party in presidential election in a way prompted the fielding of 3 candidates by BJP,’ he said.

Patel said that his party was working towards strengthening the organization so that its strength in the Gujarat assembly could be taken up from current 2.

DeshGujarat