Eye on third front, Vaghela floats own Jan Vikalp party

AHMEDABAD: Two months after quitting Congress, former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela on Tuesday floated his own Jan Vikalp party in a bid to form a third front for the impending Gujarat assembly elections.

Eyeing to contest all the 182 seats in the polls likely to be held in December, Vaghela said he was open for alliance with parties such as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and others.

Addressing a press conference here, he announced the “third front” after a month-long social media survey done by a group, claimed to be an association of young professionals, on various issues concerning those looking for an option other than the BJP and the Congress.

Vaghela, however, ruled out contesting the polls. “This front will be free of high command and its diktats. The CM candidate will be selected through primaries as in the American electoral system. The front will be democratic, which is not seen in any of the political parties.”

He dismissed the argument that a third front hardly succeeds in Gujarat and instead ends up benefiting the ruling party.

“This is anti-government and the issues are related to anti-incumbency. Then how will it benefit the BJP? The Congress is not coming to power. Then how come the third front will damage Congress? ” asked Vaghela.

He said that the front will favour 25% reservation for the Economically Backward Class, in addition to the existing quota for SC/ST and OBCs.

Vaghela, at the same time, said that neither he has approached Patidar OBC quota stir leader Hardik Patel or OBC leader Alpesh Thakor nor have they met him.

In the August Rajya Sabha elections, eight Congress MLAs, including Vaghela, had crossvoted in favour of the BJP, as a result of which Ahmed Patel could manage just enough votes to win a fiercely fought contest. “They (Congress MLAs) rebelled because the high command did not listen to them. Many of them have joined the BJP. They will not be a part of the third front,” Bapu, as Vaghela is fondly called, said.

Vaghela’s son Mahendrasinh has also resigned as MLA as well as from Congress but has not joined the BJP.

Vaghela maintained that Mahendrasinh will decide on his own about his political future.

Jan Vikalp was launched by his supporters with hoardings and online media campaign raising questions like “Why should BJP or Congress be the only options?”

VAGHELA’S SON MAHENDRASINH HAS ALSO RESIGNED AS MLA AS WELL AS FROM CONGRESS BUT HAS NOT JOINED THE BJP.