Ex-Gujarat MLA Kamini Ba to join BJP after levelling 'cash for ticket' charge on Congress

Days after making the big 'cash for ticket' allegation against Congress, former Dahegam MLA Kamini Ba Rathod is all set to join the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) ahead of the crucial Gujarat Assembly elections. The development came after Kamini Ba resigned from the grand old party alleging that the party demanded money from her for a ticket in the upcoming election in the state. 

Levelling serious allegations against her political party, Kamini Ba while exclusively speaking to Republic TV revealed that an agent of Gujarat Congress chief Jagdish Thakor called her and demanded Rs 1 crore for the party ticket. The former MLA further claimed that she was also told that if she fails to pay the price she will not be able to contest from the Dahegam seat despite a survey demonstrating her popularity. 

Notably, Kamini Ba earlier in the 2012 Assembly polls won the Dahegam seat by a narrow margin of 2297 votes but was defeated in the 2017 elections by BJP's Balrajsinh Chauhan. 

Kamini Ba resigns from Congress 

Giving a major setback to Congress on November 20, ex-Congress MLA Kamini Ba Rathod resigned from all posts of the party writing a letter to Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Jagdish Thakor. Her resignation came after she accused Congress of providing party tickets in exchange for money. 

Revealing the incident, the ex-Gujarat MLA said, "On November 11, I received a call. A person asked me in Gujarati- 'Where are you? Where are you going? Why are you running about? Don't take tension. You will get the ticket. Your survey is okay. All local councillors are with you'. I told him that I got to know that the state president Jagdish Bhai Thakor thinks differently and doesn't want to give me a ticket."

"From November 12, I started getting calls that there is a problem in giving you the ticket. He said that if you want the ticket, their demand is Rs 1 crore. Then, I told him I will think about it and let me know. Later, the person who was talking in Gujarati was making WhatsApp calls asking me to convey my decision quickly," she added. 

Congress in huge trouble

Since the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the elections in Gujarat, four of the Congress MLAs, including Kamini Ba, resigned from the party and joined the saffron camp. Notably, the AICC secretary in charge of the Indian Overseas Himanshu Vyas resigned from the grand old party on November 5. Hours later, he joined the BJP citing lack of leadership in Congress.

Veteran Congress leader Bhagvanbhai Barad, an MLA from the Talala constituency, also resigned from the party and joined BJP. While Congress MLA from Chhota Udaipur Mohansinh Rathva also tendered his resignation on November 10 and joined BJP.