Alpesh Thakor, Dhavalsinh Zala join BJP

Former Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor and his close aide Dhavalsinh Zala on Thursday joined the BJP in presence of Gujarat BJP president, Jitu Vaghani.

On July 15, Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena (GKTS) leader Amit Thakor announced that Alpesh and Zala will join the BJP.

"Alpesh Thakor and Dhavalsinh Zala (former Congress leaders) will soon join BJP. We believe in the party's ideology," he said.

Thakor and Zala-had resigned as Congress MLAs after cross-voting for BJP in the Rajya Sabha bye-elections for two seats in Gujarat on July 5.

Thakor, an MLA from Radhanpur constituency in north Gujarat, said that he took the decision to resign as an MLA after being "insulted" and "deceived" by the party.

"We were always deceived after joining the Congress party. We had told senior party leaders that honest leaders are oppressed. I had decided to join the party putting our faith in Rahul Gandhi but unfortunately, he could not do anything. We were insulted again and again," he said.

Alpesh said that he cast his vote (in the RS polls) for the "honest national leadership" and as per his inner voice.

He said: "I have cast my vote for the honest national leadership that wants to take the country to new heights. I cast my vote as per my inner voice. I got nothing other than mental stress by being in the Congress party. I am free from that burden."

He alleged that he was a victim of propaganda within the Congress and could not do anything for his community. "I have entered politics to serve the people of my community. I could not do anything for them in the last two years," he said.

Later, Ashwin Kotwal, observer for the Congress in Rajya Sabha polls, had said that both the leaders cross-voted in the elections.

In the run-up to Lok Sabha elections, Thakor had resigned as the Congress Committee secretary in-charge of Bihar and other posts he held in the party.

Before the Lok Sabha election, on April 10, Thakor had said that he will not join the BJP, though he said that he would complete his five years terms as a legislator.

"I will not join the BJP. I have resigned from all the posts in the party (Congress). We will complete the five years term as an MLA," he said.