Ahmedabad: Amid speculation that he could be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor has finally made it clear that he will remain with the party.
At a time when many Congress MLAs are crossing over, there was apprehension that he would do so too. But after meeting top party leaders in New Delhi last week, the young OBC leader has cleared the air. This has given some relief to the party in the state which is surrounded by many problems.
“Everyone wants to become a minister. Everyone wants power. I would accept that I also want power but that is for my people. I would be able to do something for them if I had a power. I had an offer, but I thought I shouldn’t accept it,” Mr Thakor admitted.
Sources say that BJP state unit was keen to take Alpesh in its fold. State cabinet minister Kunvarji Bawalia, who crossed over from the Congress in July 2018, and other state BJP leaders, were in touch with Mr Thakor.
The BJP wanted Mr Thakor to contest the Lok Sabha seat so that the party could field former minister Shankar Chudhary, who lost in the assembly election from Vav constituency, from Mr Thakor’s constituency.
Shakar Chudhary is believed to be in the good books of both Prime Minister Modi and party president Amit Shah. Another option for the BJP was to offer Mr Thakor a ministerial birth.
It was also rumoured that Mr Thakor’s wife Kiran would contest the Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket. Congress party insiders say that Alpesh Thakor’s father, Khodaji Thakor, a veteran Congressman, stopped him joining the BJP at the last minute.
“Alpesh will not join the BJP at least for now, but he might have kept the door open. Party will have to offer him a good position now,” a senior party leader said on condition of anonymity.
