JAIPUR: The BJP is trying to lure 10 Congress MLAs in Gujarat ahead of the assembly polls there, an adviser to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has claimed.
Sanyam Lodha, the independent MLA from Sirohi in Rajasthan, also said that he has informed the Congress leadership and its Gujarat unit chief, Raghu Sharma, about the "inputs" he has received.
Assembly elections in Gujarat are scheduled to be held at the end of this year.
The BJP is trying to lure "10 Congress MLAs ahead of the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections. Be alert", Lodha tweeted in Hindi on Friday.
In the tweet, he has tagged Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress and the party's Gujarat unit.
"I have warned the Congress. I have inputs about it and that is why I have informed the party. I informed Raghu Sharma 20 days ago. There was no movement from his side so I have tagged the party high command to alert it," Lodha told PTI.
He said, "This is bound to happen if you remain in a slumber. We are anti-BJP and it is our responsibility to raise an alert."
Before the Rajya Sabha elections in 2020, eight Congress MLAs in Gujarat had resigned and later joined the BJP.
At that time, the Congress had shifted its MLAs from Gujarat to Jaipur fearing horse-trading.
Recently, five former Congress MLAs joined the BJP.
The Congress now has 65 MLAs in Gujarat.
It is Congress' responsibility to stop its legislators and workers from leaving, senior Gujarat BJP leader Pradipsinh Vaghela said on Saturday.
He was reacting to the claim by a Rajasthan MLA that the BJP was trying to lure 10 Congress MLAs in Gujarat ahead of Assembly polls, due in December.
"I believe it is the responsibility of a political party and its leadership to hold on to its workers, provide them timely guidance and make good use of their strength. It is Congress' misfortune that it has failed to hold on to its workers, MLAs," said Vaghela.
The opposition party's MLAs had crossed over to the BJP in Gujarat earlier too, he said, adding that "it is Congress' responsibility and not ours" to stop this process.
But he also quipped that "there is no vacancy" for Congress MLAs in the BJP at present.
"Congress should try to stop leaders who are established names in society and work for the public from leaving," Vaghela added.
Sanyam Lodha, independent MLA from Sirohi and adviser to Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, has alleged that the BJP was trying to lure "10 Congress MLAs ahead of the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections."
"I have warned the Congress. I have inputs about it and that is why I have informed the party. I informed Raghu Sharma 20 days ago. There was no movement from his side so I have tagged the party high command to alert it," Lodha told PTI.
Before the Rajya Sabha elections in 2020, eight Congress MLAs in Gujarat resigned and later joined the BJP.
Recently, five former Congress MLAs joined the BJP.
The Congress, which won 77 seats in the 2017 Assembly election in Gujarat, now has 65 MLAs.
Meanwhile, An FIR was lodged against Gujarat Congress MLA Nathabhai Patel under the Representation of the People Act for allegedly submitting false information in his affidavit while filing his nomination for the 2017 Assembly election.
Patel, who had won from Dhanera constituency in Banaskantha district by defeating BJP's Mavjibhai Desai, has refuted the allegations.
An FIR was lodged by an election officer under section 125 (A) of the RPA dealing with the penalty for filing a false affidavit, a Dhanera police station official said.
The action was taken against Patel on the direction of the Election Commission for allegedly furnishing false information or hiding certain information regarding his property in his 2017 election affidavit, a poll official said.
"On the basis of a complaint, a report was submitted to the Election Commission. The then election officer Yogesh Thakkar had issued Patel a show-cause notice on the complaint questioning the details provided by him in his affidavit," deputy collector and complainant FA Babi said.
"Based on his reply, a report was sent to the Election Commission, which directed its official here to file an FIR against Patel under the the Representation of the People Act.
The investigation took time as it was based on the complaint of a private person," the official said.
Meanwhile, MLA Patel said, "I have provided all details. There is no question of hiding anything. Any politically motivated person can blame me, but the court will make everything clear. I have full faith in the court," he said.