Rajkot:

There seems to be a ‘deep’ crisis before ruling Congress in Rajkot district Panchayat as 22 of its 34 members in the all important local body in the home district of CM Vijay Rupani, have reportedly switched over their allegiance to BJP, which has planned to first snatch the 9 committees during election on July 27 and then put a no-confidence motion against incumbent president from Congress party Alapen Arjunbhai Khataria to give the final blow.

In the 38 member local body Congress had won 34 seats to get overwhelming majority, BJP could get only 2 seats.

Now amid the internal bickering in Congress, 22 of its members are reportedly ready to join BJP again. They are now incommunicado even as round of meetings at the president’s bungalow have so far failed to resolve the crisis for Congress by now.

In such a meeting last night Congress MLA from Dhoraji and former PAAS leader Lalit Vasoya had also participated.

Meanwhile, BJP Rajkot district General Secretary Bhanubhai L Mehta today claimed that 22 of the Congress members have come with BJP.

‘Most of those who have come back with us were in fact our own man and had left us during the Patidar quota agitation. Several of them were from Koli community and have preferred to switch to BJP as their leader Kunvarjibhai Bavaliya is now with us. We will first snatch the 9 committees of the district Panchayat including the executive committee, Education and Health and Construction related committees on July 27 during general body meeting and then put forth a no confidence motion,’ Mehta said.

On the other hand Rajkot Congress president Hitesh Vora told newsmen that there was no truth in BJP’s claim. He said that 15 of the 22 members were in his touch and remaining were in remote areas. Congress would continue to rule the local body with majority.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the dissident congress members have left for Rajasthan in group and would come back here on July 27 on the day of committee election.

DeshGujarat