The Congress has opened channels with former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela, 86, for his possible return to the party, nearly a decade after his exit triggered a series of defections from the Gujarat Congress ahead of the 2017 Assembly election.
Vaghela’s dramatic departure from the Congress in July 2017 following differences with the party leadership came right ahead of the high-stakes Rajya Sabha poll in August, in which late Congress veteran Ahmed Patel was seeking re-election. By the time the Congress headed into the December 2017 assembly elections, the Congress had lost 17 leaders. Nonetheless, the Congress delivered its best performance in over two decades, securing 77 seats against the BJP’s 99. After a series of defections and by-elections, the BJP went into the 2022 Assembly election with 111 MLAs, while the Congress was reduced to 59. In 2022, the BJP fielded 37 leaders who had switched from the Congress since 2017; 34 of them won. The 37 include the 17 leaders who joined the BJP in 2017 and 20 who had joined after the 2017 assembly election. To be sure, Vaghela had been with the BJP till 1995 when he formed the Rashtriya Janata Party and became Gujarat chief minister with Congress’s support in 1996.
A meeting between Vaghela and Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, is also expected before a decision is taken. Fourteen Congress MLAs, including Vaghela, left the party around the time. Rajput was subsequently fielded in the Rajya Sabha against Ahmed Patel. The high-voltage contest ended with Patel scraping through by a single vote, saved by Bharatiya Tribal Party leader Chhotubhai Vasava. The Congress expelled eight MLAs, including Vaghela, for cross-voting. The BJP fielded many of them. However, continuous defections in subsequent years eroded the party’s numbers, reducing its strength significantly. The RJP later merged with the Congress.
Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda said discussions are underway with Vaghela and that the party would take next steps after talks with its leadership.
Three of them, including Balvantsinh Rajput, crossed over to the Bharatiya Janata Party before the Rajya Sabha elections.
