Former CM makes third front move
AHMEDABAD: Former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela joined Jan Vikalp, a forum launched by his supporters, on Tuesday in a bid to form a third front ahead of the crucial assembly elections, two months after quitting the Congress.
Jan Vikalp was launched by his supporters after a monthlong social media survey on various issues concerning those looking for an option other than the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress.
The outfit’s website says that for over the past 70 years, neither the BJP nor the Congress has given “anything except atrocities, exploitation, poverty, fear, hunger and corruption”.
Addressing a press conference, Vaghela said the people were fed up with the BJP and Congress and were desperate for an alternative.
With an intention to contest all the 182 assembly seats in the polls likely to be held in December, Vaghela said he was open to an alliance with parties like Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Nationalist Congress Party and others.
The former Union minister, however, said he will not contest the assembly elections and that the front will be “free of high command and its diktats”.
“The CM candidate would be selected through primaries seen in the American electoral system. The front will be totally democratic, which is not seen in any of the political parties,” the 77-year-old leader said.
He dismissed the argument that a third front does not succeed in Gujarat and instead ends up benefiting the ruling party.
“The Congress is not coming to power. Then how come the third front will damage Congress? This is anti-government and issues are related to anti-incumbency. Then how will it benefit the BJP?” asked Vaghela.
He said that the front will favour 25% reservation for people from the Economically Backward Class, in addition to the existing quota for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes.
At the same time, Vaghela said he has neither approached Patidar OBC quota stir leader Hardik Patel nor OBC leader Alpesh Thakor.
Vaghela quit the Congress party along with 13 other MLAs in July ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha elections.
He had asked the party high command to hand over reins of the December election battle to him.
Vaghela’s son Mahendrasinh has also resigned as an MLA as well as from the Congress party but has not joined the BJP. Vaghela maintained Mahendrasinh will decide on his own about his political future.