The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by the Congress state unit seeking disqualification of MLA Alpesh Thakore from the Assembly.
Thakore, who was elected from Radhanpur Assembly seat, had quit the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. He, however, had not resigned as MLA.
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The Gujarat Congress in its plea had sought a directive for Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi to take an early decision on its demand to disqualify Thakore as MLA. Thakore is from the OBC community and heads the Thakore Sena and another outfit.
During the hearing, Thakore had submitted an affidavit before the high court saying that he had not resigned from the primary membership of the party. He said that he had only resigned from various posts that he held in the party.
Before the Lok Sabha elections, Thakore was made deputy in-charge of the party for Bihar, and was also included in all the committees formed by the Gujarat Congress for elections. He, however, resigned from the party accusing it of partisan attitude towards him and other leaders of the OBC community.
The high court observed that its intervention was not necessary at a time when the matter was pending with the Assembly Speaker. It also observed that it can not issue a directive to the Speaker to take a decision in a time-bound manner.
Congress state spokesperson Manish Doshi told THE WEEK that the party would issue a whip to Thakore to vote for the Congress candidates in Rajya Sabha elections on July 5 as he himself had said in the court that he had not resigned from the party.
Doshi said that the modalities to issue a whip will be taken after taking legal guidance.
Speculations are rife on whether Thakore would join the BJP when Union Home Minister and party president Amit Shah comes to Ahmedabad on July 3 and 4. However, there is no confirmation from the BJP.
