Former Congress leader Alpesh Thakor along with his protege Dhavalsinh Jhala will join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said Amit Thakor of the Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena on Monday, 15 July.
Amit Thakor said that they believe in the party’s ideology.
Thakore and Jhala resigned as MLAs on 5 July after cross-voting in favour of BJP candidates in the Rajya Sabha by-elections. Thakor and Jhala had quit all posts in the Congress in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in April, alleging ill-treatment by the party leadership.
“I have given my vote to a honest national leadership that wants to take the country to new heights. I went by my conscience”, Thakor had said after cross voting, giving a clear indication of him joining the BJP.
Alpesh Thakor, who is an OBC leader, said that they had quit the Congress over the unfair treatment meted out to them in the party. He had joined the Congress ahead of the 2017 state Assembly elections and won for the first time from the Radhanpur seat on party’s ticket.
“I joined the Congress because of my immense faith in Rahul Gandhi, but unfortunately he couldn't do much. I came to work for the poor but did not get to do much. Instead, I only got mental stress in the Congress. I am free from the burden,” he had said back then.
Jhala had said that the Thakor leaders were humiliated again and again by the Congress.
“We were humiliated over and over again. The senior leaders simply ignored smaller ones. Because of these reasons, I have resigned from my position. I also stated this in writing but to no avail,” Jhala stated.
(With inputs from ANI and IANS)
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