Alpesh Thakor, Congress MLA, quits party ahead of Lok Sabha Elections

In a major setback to Congress, party MLA Alpesh Thakor resigned from the party on Wednesday. Two more Congress MLAs - Dhavalsingh Thakor and Bharatji Thakor - have also resigned from the party. 

The development comes a day after Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena, an outfit floated by Alpesh Thakor, asked the legislator to resign from it and clear his stand within 24 hours.

"The Thakor Sena, during the core committee meeting here late Tuesday night, passed a resolution to severe ties with the Congress. We have not consulted Alpesh Thakor before taking this decision," Jagat Thakor, a member of the outfit, told reporters.

"After the meet, we told him to make his stand clear within 24 hours. If he wants to remain with the Congress, then he has to leave the Thakor Sena. And if he wants to be with us, then he has to resign from the party and as an MLA," he said.

The Congress was "ignoring" the Thakor Sena while taking important decisions, including selection of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, he said.

Speculation was rife that Thakor, a prominent OBC leader from Gujarat, may quit the Congress as he was unhappy with the local party leadership.

Though he was keen to contest from Patan Lok Sabha seat, the Congress chose former MP Jagdish Thakor.

After emerging as a prominent OBC leader in Gujarat, he had joined the Congress before the 2017 Assembly polls and won from Radhanpur seat in Patan district.