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Thursday, Jul 19, 2007
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Gujarat BJP faces threat of cross-voting

Manas Dasgupta

GANDHINAGAR: The BJP Gujarat leadership is keeping its fingers crossed on the Presidential elections on Thursday following “threats” by some dissident party MLAs to cross-vote in favour of UPA nominee Pratibha Patil.

Not only has the most vocal dissident leader, Dhirubhai Gajera, said publicly that he and some other dissident MLAs would not support National Democratic Alliance candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, the surprise presence in the Congress camp on Wednesday of a dissident BJP MLA has also created a flutter among the BJP leadership.

In an open defiance of the party’s mandate, about two dozen dissident BJP members stayed away from a joint meeting of party MLAs and State office-bearers, which was called ostensibly to discuss the “future programmes” of the party, but was in reality intended to assess the mood of the legislators in regard to the election.

Legislature party chief whip Jitendra Sukhadia, however, claimed that only five “known” dissident members were “absent” at the meeting. A “few others” had informed the party about prior engagements or “sickness.”

At least three others, including Narendra Jadeja, Gopal Dua , both from Kutch, and Mr. Mahendra Mashru, who is also the mayor of Junagadh, arrived later.

Among the five who were absent were Mr. Gajera, Baukubhai Unghad, Gordhan Jhdafiya, Balubhai Tanti and Bechardas Bhadani.

A former Minister, Mr. Bhadani, instead of attending the party meeting, landed at the Congress camp in front of the Assembly where Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Arjun Modhavadia was on a 72-hour fast to “expose” corruption in the State Government.

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