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Updated September 11th, 2019 at 10:37 IST

Alpesh Thakor to be added to the Gujarat Government Cabinet?

Sources have told Republic TV that young leader, Alpesh Thakor might be a strong candidate to be added in the Gujarat Government Cabinet in the near future.

Reported by: Priyanka Sharma
Alpesh Thakor
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While there is a rocky history that Alpesh Thakor has left behind with Congress before joining the BJP, the future seems bright for the young OBC leader in the current party. Sources have told Republic TV that there is quite a bit of chatter in the power corridors Gandhinagar that Alpesh might be a strong candidate to be added in the Gujarat Government Cabinet in the near future.

Read| After weeks-long wrangle, Ex-Congress MLAs Alpesh Thakor & Dhavalsinh Zala to join BJP on Thursday

Alpesh Thakor first contested the assembly elections in 2017

In the assembly seat of Radhanpur, Alpesh had contested the very first assembly election in 2017 and had won with almost 15000 votes. When Alpesh had quit the Congress party after cross-voting in the July by-elections of Rajya Sabha, he made it clear that he will join the BJP and on July 18, while addressing a press conference – sitting next to Jitu Vaghani said, "He will do whatever the party asks of me," when he was repeatedly asked about whether or not he will contest in the upcoming by-polls of the Radhanpur seat. However, sources close to the leader have made it quite clear that he ‘has no intentions of abandoning his constituency’. A close aide stated, “he (Alpesh) is keen on fighting in the by-polls and is sure of a comfortable majority as well. As for the cabinet position, that might be made public only after the by-polls. But there is constant communication and negotiations going on for Alpesh to be given a cabinet position.” In another public appearance in Radhanpur before the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, Alpesh had also publically named and shamed the Congress party and its leaders and had claimed that he will win with more than 50,000 votes in the constituency.

Read| Alpesh Thakor cross-votes, then resigns as MLA and from Congress party

Not enough respect and responsibility given to Thakor

Another major role in the political future of the OBC leader is played by the Thakor Sena, a Thakor community organisation founded and headed by Alpesh Thakor. It was the Sena that had given an ultimatum to the leader to quit the Congress party since they felt that there was not enough respect and responsibility that he was given. “We want him to be given power in the party so that he can work for the community and for the less privileged but of course it depends on the party. It has been confirmed to us that he will be fighting for Radhanpur since the support of the people is with him,” shared Jagat Thakor, Ahmedabad chief of Thakor Sena. It is a known fact that Alpesh makes his political decision based on the demands of the Sena.

Read| Rajya Sabha elections | Congress resort politics returns, Gujarat MLAs moved to plush Mount Abu resort; Alpesh Thakor calls it a 'communication gap'

While there are many who might want to see Alpesh in the Gujarat Cabinet, it might not be unprecedented for the Gujarat Government to add another turncoat of the Congress in the cabinet. There are several other MLAs like Kunvarji Bavaliya who had quit the Congress party, joined the BJP and within days were sworn into the cabinet positions of the state. However, this is not without pushback from several cadres of the BJP who are unhappy with an important position in the government being given to the Congress turncoats. At the same time, sources in the BJP have also stated that they might need to add Alpesh in the cabinet position in order to appeal to the OBC vote bank in the state in the 2022 elections as well. It is expected that there might be a meeting internally held in the party in another week to finalise these decisions. "But anything about cabinet positions will only be made public or even remotely considered only after the by-polls," a BJP leader shared. A detailed discussion about the same was carried out with the BJP president and Home Minister Amit Shah on September 4 when he had come to Ahmedabad for a personal visit as well.

Read| Congress leaders shouting "ghotala hua, ghotala hua" had "chemical locha" in minds: Alpesh Thakor

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Published September 10th, 2019 at 17:24 IST

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