We are moving towards Congress-free Gujarat: BJP

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India] August 7 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Gujarat unit in-charge Bhupendra Yadav on Monday said that they are moving towards a Congress free Gujarat, adding all three candidates from the saffron party will win the Rajya Sabha elections from Gujarat.

"We are moving towards a Congress free Gujarat. I can assure you all that all three candidates of the BJP will win tomorrow," Yadav told media here.

He added that the Congress in this election has broken the dignity of freedom of speech and expression.

"Congress MLAs left the people stranded here in flood affected areas and went to Bengaluru. This party prohibited its members to celebrate the festival of Raksha Bandhan," Yadav said.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel today expressed confidence on winning Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat.

He exhumed confidence to win the seat with surprising numbers "despite ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) conspiracy" against him.

Accusing the BJP of engineering defections, Patel said the party has threatened and applied pressure on the families of the 44 Congress MLAs, whom the grand old party sent to Bengaluru to save them from horse trading.

Patel added that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has also announced its support to him.

The NCP has said that it will support Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat.

At least 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs were camping at a resort in Bengaluru since July 29 to prevent their possible poaching by the ruling BJP ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections.

All the MLAs were holed in Bengaluru's Eagleton Resort, after six of the Gujarat Congress MLAs quit the party and joined the BJP.

All the Gujarat Congress MLAs returned back to the state earlier in the day.

As soon as the MLAs landed at the state capital they were taken to the Neejanand Resort in Gujarat's Anand district, located 77 km from Ahmedabad.

The Gujarat Rajya Sabha election is slated to be held tomorrow for three seats.

The BJP has fielded party president Amit Shah, Union Minister Smriti Irani and Balwantsinh Rajput.(ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI