Gujarat Rajya Sabha poll today: Major blow for Ahmed Patel, NCP to back BJP

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday announced it will support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat. This has come as a major blow to Congress, which had announced having the support of the NCP.

NCP leader Kandhal Jadeja said that his party has decided to support the saffron outfit.

"Our party has asked us to support BJP in tomorrow's RS elections," Jadeja said.

However, Congress' candidate Ahmed Patel earlier in the day said that the NCP is extending its support to him.

"The NCP has said that it will support Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat," Patel said.

The Gujarat Rajya Sabha election is slated to be held Tuesday for three seats.

The BJP has fielded party president Amit Shah, Union Minister Smriti Irani and Balwantsinh Rajput.

The state has been witnessing political upheaval in the recent past. The political temperature in the state had risen when six Congress MLAs joined BJP. The Congress accused BJP of horse-trading and sent its 44 MLAs from Gujarat to Bengaluru since on July 29 to prevent their possible poaching by the ruling BJP ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections.

The Income Tax department raided Bengaluru's Eagleton Resort, which belonged to Karnataka's Energy Minister DK Shivakumar. The Congress alleged resort was raided because its 44 MLAs were staying there.

All the Gujarat Congress MLAs returned back to the state earlier in the day.