Gujarat ex-CM Shankersinh Vaghela’s son quits BJP, joins Congress ahead of polls

“There is no doubt that Congress is in a strong position. We will all work together,” Mahendrasinh told reporters, adding that it was for the party to decide if he would fight the upcoming Assembly elections.

Asked why he was returning to a party that he left for the BJP in 2017, Mahendrasinh said. “After my joining the BJP, I have not gone to any of their events or to the party office. My mind was here (with the Congress). I did not feel that I should continue with the BJP.”

He was among the Congress MLAs who quit the party ahead of Rajya Sabha polls in 2017 under Shankersinh’s leadership.

Mahendrasinh, who represented Bayad, later joined the BJP, while his father floated a separate political party and unsuccessfully fought the 2017 Assembly elections.

Asked if his father too would join the Congress, Mahendrasinh said, “He is an elder. He is my father. You can ask him.”

He added that Shankersinh’s blessings were always with him.

For the past few months, Shankersinh has been attending events along with Congress leaders and he has hinted at his readiness to return to the Opposition party before the 2022 polls.