Gandhinagar:
Just weeks before Gujarat goes to the polls, a major blow to the Congress today. Capital Gandhinagar's municipal corporation mayor Mahendrasinh Rana crossed over to the BJP, along with two more corporators. This effectively puts the Gandhinagar corporation in the hands of the BJP.
The Congress had projected the win last year as a major victory against Narendra Modi and the BJP, when it took 18 of the 33 seats. But with the mayor and his two supporters switching over, the Congress is left red-faced.
The switch is all the more politically significant because Gandhinagar and adjacent areas had been with the Congress for some time. But differences between Mr Rana and the state's Congress leadership had been growing in the recent past. These peaked when he wrote a letter in praise of Mr Modi's development work to state Congress chief Arjun Modvadia, which was the clearest sign of his imminent move.
"I had made representation right upto Rahul Gandhi but nothing has been done to listen to the representation of the party workers," Mr Rana told reporters in Gandhinagar. "Now I will join the BJP to ensure Gandhingar also develops on the line of the state."
The BJP has welcomed the decision. BJP spokesman said, "Party workers are being ignored by the Congress. Now Rana along with us will work towards development of the capital city."