The list of Congress turncoats who might contest on the BJP symbol is getting longer. Over 35 Congress leaders who switched sides in the run-up to the 2017 poll and later are pressing to get tickets. Only time will tell how many make it to the final list.
The BJP is now home to several Congress leaders – some of whom have won subsequent elections on a lotus symbol and are even sitting MLAs – who have made a strong pitch for tickets in the upcoming assembly election. Most of these leaders have been victorious in past elections. For instance, Kunvarji Bavaliya has been a five-time MLA and a Lok Sabha member of the Congress. Somabhai Koli Patel has been a Lok Sabha member from Surendranagar and an MLA from the Limbdi assembly seat on more than one occasion. Brijesh Merja is a strong contender for the Morbi seat despite being in the spotlight after the recent bridge collapse tragedy.
This situation is turning out to be a dilemma of sorts for the BJP, which will have to execute a delicate balancingact to keep its dedicated cadre in good humour even as it has to accommodate the Congress turncoats in ticket distribution. Key BJP sources confided that a sizeable number of Congress turncoats are being considered for tickets this time. These include leaders of the Congress who have not even contested elections but enjoy mass popularity.
The exodus of Congress MLAs began in a big way during the famed Ahmed Patel Rajya Sabha election win in August 2017, when 14 MLAs switched sides. Although the Congress bounced back strongly in the 2017 election, which was held in the backdrop of reservation agitations, its impressive tally of 77 dwindled to 61. Since 2017, as many as 16 MLAs have quit the Congress to join the BJP. Some of them are ministers in the present government.
“The number of original Congressmen who are now with our party and are seeking BJP tickets for the upcoming election could be around 35-40,” a senior BJP leader. This, even as there are indications that senior leaders of the BJP, including former CM Vijay Rupani and deputy CM Nitin Patel, will not be considered for assembly election tickets as the ruling party intends to give them other responsibilities within the organization. “It is a reality that many of the Congress leaders, including MLAs, joined the BJP after securing a commitment that they will be given tickets,” another top state BJP leader confided.
The BJP knows that some turncoats who have joined the bandwagon could damage the saffron party’s prospects if denied tickets.