Ahmed Patel Wins Rajya Sabha, Congress Loses An Opportunity For A Churning

Congress President Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel won a precarious victory in the Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat when he won by 44 votes, to which NCP leader said that the Congress won due to 1 vote by NCP.

State BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said that if rebel Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela wished to rejoin the BJP, the party would consider it.

The Rajya Sabha elections are taking place months ahead of assembly polls in the state.

More importantly, the defeat would have possibly triggered more Jairams to openly call for a "new Congress" (read: one aligned more with the party's face of defeat - Rahul Gandhi - than with the old guard that stands firmly behind Sonia while still trying to understand her son's gameplan, if at all there is one).

Congress needs the support of 45 MLAs for victory of Patel who is contesting for his fifth term for the upper house.

Those expelled, apart from Vaghela, are his son Mahendrasinh, CK Raulji, Amit Chaudhry, Karamsi Patel, Bholabhai Gohil, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and Raghavji Patel, said GPCC spokesman Manish Doshi here. Nor has the alleged master strategist been able to return the Congress to power in any major state. The BJP exposed itself by resorting to worst possible machinations that forced the Congress to ferry its MLAs to Bengaluru so that there are no attempt to contact or influence them by the saffron outfit. Mr. Rupani claimed that though Congress had won the one seat of Rajya Sabha on the basis of false complaint, its defeat in coming assembly elections is certain.

"This is not any individual's win or about Ahmed Patel but the entire party, our MLAs and workers; morale further boosted, said Ahmed Patel".

Yadav is unhappy with party president and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's decision to go back to the BJP after snapping ties with the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Meanwhile, Amit Shah, who has helmed the party to spectacular victories in several elections since 2014, is camping in Gujarat strategising on how to get all three BJP nominees win. The BJP sent a galaxy of ministers to the Election Commission to urge them to reject the Congress plea. The vote is the personal property of an MLA (for the RS polls). While this could not prevent cross-voting by two of its MLAs, it was the folly of showing off the ballot papers by the the two MLAs that saved Patel from losing the poll battle.

"Everyone thought Amit Shah (BJP president) is always successful in unlawful, negative things but Gujarat proved this kind of authority won't work", Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki said soon after EC's verdict came out in favour of Congress.

In response, another BJP delegation met the Election Commission and sought the counting of votes.