Vaghela exit may hit Cong RS plan

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 21

Though the Congress officially downplayed the exit of Gujarat strongman Shankarsinh Vagleha today, his departure is likely to cast a shadow on the re-election of party veteran Ahmed Patel to Rajya Sabha.

The RS term of Patel, the powerful political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, ends on August 18 along with the terms of two BJP members from the state - Smriti Irani and Dilipbhai Pandya.

While RS re-nomination from Gujarat is for Patel if he wants to have it, party insiders say it may not be a smooth sailing for the veteran if Vaghela walks away with a significant number of MLAs.

Congress sources feel Vaghela may poach around 10 MLAs easily out of 57 the party has in a 162 member Assembly.

Meanwhile Patel, 68, who represents Gujarat in Rajya Sabha, will be entering his fifth term in the House if elected. Congress insiders also feel Patel will do his own calculations and enter the fray only to win. He has been in RS since 1999.

Meanwhile AICC general secretary in charge of Gujarat Ashok Gehlot today said "it is Vaghela's moral responsibility to ensure Congress retains one seat from Gujarat".

Officially, the party took care not to run down Vaghela who said he had been expelled 24 hours ago. “Neither has the Congress taken disciplinary action against him nor has he been expelled from the party. Both these facts are entirely incorrect,” Congress media head Randeep Surjewala said today.