After losing control in a string of municipalities due to dissidence and horse trading, the Congress in Gujarat has now taken dozens of its various district and taluka panchayat members to safe locations in Rajasthan and Union Territory Daman to thwart attempts of poaching by the ruling party in Gujarat.
Municipal corporations, municipalities and district and taluka panchayats in Gujarat are undergoing the mid-term internal elections of office-bearers to allow for the two-and-a-half-year rotation.
The Opposition party, which swept district and taluka panchayat elections held in 2015, recently lost control in over half-a-dozen municipalities after its members rebelled and joined hands with the BJP, causing defeat of the party and the BJP taking over control with the help of cross-voting.
Municipalities where the Congress lost control despite winning them in 2015 include Amreli, Babra, Bagasara and Patan.
Damage control
Now, the party has launched damage control to ensure that its members in district panchayats are not poached or go against the party diktat. “Members of Surendranagar district panchayat have been taken to Diu while Ahmedabad district members have been shifted to Rajasthan,” a Congress leader said, accusing the ruling party of luring Congress members with money bags.
In addition, members of several taluka panchayats have also been taken to “safe locations”.
