Alpesh Thakor claims he is Congress member

Ahmedabad: Gujarat OBC leader and legislator Alpesh Thakor created a buzz on Thursday by stating that he was still a member of the Congress.

“I have not resigned from the primary membership of the Congress. I am still a member of the party. The resignation paper which was circulated on social media cannot be considered as authentic,” Mr Thakor told the Gujarat High Court on Thursday in reply to a notice issued to him.

Gujarat Congress chief Whip Ashwin Kotwal had filed an application in the high court seeking Mr Thakor’s suspension as legislator. The court had issued notice to him.

Mr Thakor had emerged as a prominent OBC face during the Patidar quota stir in 2015 and joined the Congress during the 2017 Assembly elections. He was elected from Radhanpur in north Gujarat.

Due to differences with the state leadership, he resigned “from all posts of the party” just ahead of Lok Sabha elections. Mr Thakor is believed to have helped the BJP in the Lok Sabha  elections.

There has been continuing talks of his joining the BJP. His disqualification petition is with the Speaker.