Gujarat MLA Alpesh Thakor denies report of joining BJP, says will continue to stay with Congress

Ahmedabad: Brushing aside speculations of joining the BJP, Congress MLA in Gujarat and OBC leader Alpesh Thakor on Saturday said that he will continue to support the grand old party. "I am going to continue to fight for my people. I will stay in Congress and continue to support the Congress," he said.

Alpesh is a Congress MLA from Radhanpur in North  Gujarat. He had joined the Congress in the run-up to the 2017 assembly elections. He contested on a Congress ticket and won.

Media reports had earlier suggested that the Congress MLA was planning to join the BJP and would directly take oath as a minister. He is among the young trinity of Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mevani.

"Alpesh is not going anywhere and is going to stay in Congress. He has had a wonderful meeting with Rahul ji and our central leadership today. He will clarify everything in his press brief on Saturday. You will see." Congress spokesperson Ashok Punjabi had said.

Meanwhile, Congress sources disclosed that Thakor had been hankering for a Lok Sabha ticket but the Congress high command had not given any commitment so far. He met senior leader Ahmed Patel in New Delhi on Friday though it was not known what transpired in the meeting, while he was also expected to meet party president Rahul Gandhi.

Thakor also had issues with the Gujarat Congress leadership that he was being sidelined in the party and had conveyed that he would decide the future course of action after meeting the AICC chief.

(With inputs from IANS)