AHMEDABAD: Former Gujarat Congress youth president Vishwanath Singh Vaghela and Gujarat youth Congress general secretary Vinay Singh Tomar, and another serval NSUI and youth Congress leader joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) On Monday, at BJP headquarter ‘Shreekamlam’ Gandhinagar. In presence of BJP leaders.
Vishwanath Singh Vaghela resigned as the president of Gujarat Youth Congress on September 4, ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s Gujarat visit, within hours of resignation he was seen with Gujarat BJP State President CR Patil and Union Minister Anurag Thakur in Ahmedabad.
In another jolt, on the day of Rahul Gandhi’s Arrival in Gujarat on Sept 05, Gujarat youth Congress general secretary Vinay Singh Tomar resigned. The two young leaders resigned within 24 hours.
After joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, the former president of the Youth Congress, Vishwanath Singh Vaghela, addressed the media and said that “After becoming the president of the youth Congress, I tried to change the party but I was not allowed to work freely, which shows that factionalism is at its peak
in the Congress.’
“The whole conspiracy to finish me was going on for the last three to four months to give a big post to Siddharth Sharma, the son of Gujarat Congress in-charge Raghu Sharma. The entire Gujarat youth Congress was side-lined because of Raghu Sharma's love for his son.” he further added.
Former youth Congress general secretary Vinay Tomar said, "I was associated with the Congress party for the past 20 years. Three generations of our family were associated with the party. Today I have parted ways with Congress and joined BJP. Factionalism and nepotism are going on in Congress. To establish their family member in Congress, leaders in the party are victimizing the youth workers to get their relatives in a position in the party.”
According to Congress sources Vaghela, who was appointed the president of Gujarat youth Congress in January, is a close ally of former Gujarat Congress working president Hardik Patel. In Vaghela’s appointment Hardik Patel played a key role, soon after Hardik resigned from congress and joined BJP, Vaghela started feeling heat within the party.
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Sources said Vaghela also had a rift with Indravijaysinh Gohil, one of the seven working presidents of the Gujarat Congress.
Soon after Vaghela’s resignation, Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas BV appointed Harpalsinh Chudashma the new president of Gujarat Youth Congress.
On Monday evening, the screening committee members held a joint meeting with the Congress's Election Committee, comprising 39 members including Gujarat Congress in-charge Raghu Sharma and Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor, after Rahul Gandhi’s address to the booth-level workers in Ahmedabad.
Before another meeting of the screening committee on Tuesday, chairman Ramesh Chennithala said “This time, we will give priority to new faces, youth, and women in ticket distribution. Our list of candidates for the Gujarat polls this time will be an impressive one.”
He said Congress would also give a chance to “new faces” in the state polls.
Last month, the All India Congress Committee constituted a three-member screening committee to shortlist party candidates for the Gujarat polls due in December this year.