AHMEDABAD: A viral video of BJP MLA Jitu Somani asking a person to “vote for Congress instead of BJP” has triggered a controversy in Gujarat’s Morbi district.
The MLA called it a “Congress conspiracy” and warned of legal action against those behind the viral campaign.
The video, reportedly shot before the local body polls, shows a casual interaction between the MLA and another person near the Wankaner Market Yard.
Somani is seen sitting among party workers when a man from Daldi village approaches him and praises the BJP MLA for ensuring water supply in the area. The villager is heard saying that he owns 50 bighas of land and that the community had benefited immensely after water was released, adding that they would vote only for BJP.
Hearing the remarks, Somani appears visibly agitated, and amid the heated exchange, he is allegedly heard bluntly telling the man to vote for Congress instead of BJP.
As the video spread like wildfire, opposition voices seized the opportunity to corner the BJP, while whispers of internal dissatisfaction and factionalism within the party also began surfacing in political circles across Morbi and Saurashtra.
Facing mounting backlash, MLA Jitu Somani came out strongly with his clarification and dismissed the entire episode as a “planned provocation” orchestrated by Congress supporters.
“The person who recorded the video is a hardcore Congressman. He deliberately came to provoke and prank me. Since his intentions were wrong, I too responded sarcastically and asked him to vote for Congress,” Somani said.
However, the controversy escalated further after another sharp statement attributed to the MLA began circulating widely.
Taking an aggressive tone, Somani declared, “I have never taken votes from heretics and I do not want such votes either. Even in the next Assembly elections, do not pollute the ballot box by voting for me.”
That remark added a fresh layer of political heat to the controversy, with critics accusing the MLA of arrogance and divisive language, while BJP supporters claimed his words were being selectively amplified to malign him and the party.
Refusing to back down, Somani alleged that the viral campaign was part of a larger attempt to defame both him and the BJP ahead of future political battles. He warned that he would identify every individual involved in recording, circulating and amplifying the clip online.
“I will go to the root of this conspiracy. Legal advice has already been taken, and action will soon be initiated against all those involved in spreading this misleading video,” the MLA asserted.
Meanwhile, the political temperature in Morbi and the wider Saurashtra belt continues to rise. Local discussions are now centered not only on the viral video itself, but also on whether the episode has exposed deeper cracks, factional rivalries, or strategic tensions brewing quietly inside the BJP’s regional unit.
