Congress seeks Alpesh Thakor's disqualification, petitions Speaker

Two days after voting for 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the Congress party on Thursday submitted a petition seeking disqualification of dissident MLA Alpesh Thakor from the Assembly for anti-party activities.

Chief whip of Congress party in the state assembly Ashwin Kotwal, and senior MLA Baldevji Thakor filed the petition before Speaker Rajendra Trivedi.

"Alpesh Thakor was elected as MLA on Congress's symbol. During the elections, he supported independent candidates, and worked against the party's candidates. Our petition to the Speaker demands that Alpesh be disqualified as MLA for indulging in anti-party activities during the elections," Kotwal, who represents Khedbrahma ST seat in the assembly, told DNA.

Alpesh, an influential OBC leader, and MLA from Radhanpur seat, had stepped down from all posts in Congress on April 10, less than two weeks before the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat on April 23, alleging disrespectful treatment and betrayal from the party. In the run up to the elections, he also actively campaigned for candidates fielded by his outfit Thakor Sena in a couple of seats in north Gujarat, while repeatedly lashing out at the party.

Recordings of Alpesh's press conference, and speeches made by him during the election campaign, where he attacked the Congress, were submitted as evidence of his anti-party activities along with the petition.

While Alpesh's April 10 letter to state Congress president Amit Chavda clearly mentioned that he was resigning from all party posts, party leaders said that resignation from all posts meant that he had also quit from the party's primary membership.

"When he has resigned from Congress, and also worked against the party, he cannot continue as the party's MLA in the assembly. He should be disqualified," said Baldevji Thakor, MLA from Kalol seat in Mehsana.
Alpesh's phone was switched off, and he could not be reached for a comment.

The two Congress leaders said that they expect speaker Rajendra Trivedi to give a decision on their petition soon. Alpesh, who shot to prominence after conducting janta raids on liquor dens a few years ago, was co in charge of Congress party in Bihar, and was also appointed on the party's key panels before the elections. He snapped ties with the party after threatening to do so several times in the past few months.

ON RECORD

• Recordings of Alpesh’s press conference, and speeches made by him during the election campaign, where he attacked the Congress, were submitted as evidence of his anti-party activities
   
• He snapped ties with the party after threatening to do so several times in the past few months