Gujarat Elections 2022: Former MLA Anil Mali Resigns From Congress After Being Denied Ticket

Former MLA Anil Mali resigned from Congress after being denied a ticket. He was earlier with BJP, had later joined Congress in 2017.

Former MLA Anil Mali resigned from Congress after being denied a ticket.

Source : Special Arrangement / Vikas

In a jolt to Congress ahead of the Gujarat Assembly election, former MLA Anil Mali resigned from the party after being denied a ticket. Mali, who was earlier with BJP, had later joined Congress in 2017. According to ABP sources, Mali was expecting a ticket from Congress this time and he was upset about not being fielded by the party.

Voting for the two-phased Gujarat Assembly elections will take place on December 1 and 5, and the counting of votes will take place on December 8. In the 2017 Gujarat polls, the BJP was halted at 99 seats out of a total of 182 seats. The party has been in power for the last 27 years with Narendra Modi being the state's longest-serving chief minister.

Earlier, Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Monday showed confidence in the party doing well in the upcoming Assembly polls stating that the people are "agitated" against the ruling BJP.

Speaking to ANI, Gehlot said, "Congress will do well in these elections because the mood of the public is against BJP for mismanaging COVID and the economy. Our party is looking at winning 125 seats and we are well on course to do that. Opposition to the BJP government this time wasn't there the last time. People are agitated. The entire country saw the mismanagement during COVID, especially in the state which was strong even before independence."

"There was Morbi incident. We demanded a fair probe by a sitting or retired judge of HC. But it didn't happen. Gujarat HC took suo moto cognisance. People died due to illicit liquor. The government's politics of gimmicks are not going to work, there will be surprising results," he added.

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over their frequent visits to the state lately, Gehlot claimed that they are doing so as the BJP is "being wiped out of Gujarat".

"Ever since they won UP polls, PM Modi-Amit Shah started coming here (Gujarat) regularly. It means they feel BJP is being wiped out of here. What does it mean if they come here every week? Shows their weak condition. So, both of them set a camp here," he said. When asked about Rahul Gandhi's absence from the election campaign in Gujarat, the Congress leader said that the former party president is giving priority to the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

"We don't need to do it. Rahul Gandhi is carrying out the yatra for every state, including Gujarat. Every household knows the issues being raised by him. He couldn't be here physically as he is giving priority to the yatra. He's coming here today and will speak his mind," he said.

He also took a swipe at the Aam Aadmi Party, which is also in the fray and looking to make inroads into Gujarat, and claimed that the party's credibility has been reduced. "Someone should ask Kejriwal why did they suddenly withdraw the campaign from Himachal? They have just propped candidates there. Who knows if they withdraw from here too? Are they colluding with BJP? Their credibility has gone down," he said.

(With ANI Inputs)