Congress sure of Ahmed Patel's win in RS polls

The Congress on Monday said it was confident of party nominee Ahmed Patel's win in Tuesday's Rajya Sabha polls from Gujarat, despite the BJP's attempts to lure MLAs through money, power and threats.

"BJP, by adopting cheap methods, is conspiring to turn minority votes into majority in Gujarat," the Congress said.

"They can make all attempts to insult the people's mandate... But we are confident that Ahmed Patel is going to be victorious...," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala while briefing reporters.

"People have rejected them. It will be proven in the assembly elections. BJP is worried about the loss in Gujarat, therefore they are trying their best to further lower the level of politics.

"However much they (BJP) try to conspire, Congress will walk the path of truth and will win," he added.

Asked about NCP leader Praful Patel's comment about his party yet to decide about its support in Gujarat, Surjewala said: "When NCP chief (Sharad Pawar) had already made it clear then we don't think we should comment further on any other leader's remarks."

Surjewala said: "Congress MLAs and other MLAs, who belong to the ally parties will vote in favour of Ahmed Patel." Patel, political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, is seeking a fifth consecutive term.

Forty four Congress MLAs from Gujarat, who were flown to Bengaluru to prevent "poaching" by the BJP ahead of Tuesday's polls, returned to Gujarat on Monday.

They were then lodged in the Nijanand Resort near Anand. They will directly go to state capital Gandhinagar to vote on Tuesday.

Of the 57 party legislators in the 182-member Gujarat assembly, six quit the party on July 26 and three of them joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on July 28.

--IANS

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