In less than a year, Bholabhai Gohel back to Gujarat Congress

Former MLA Bholabhai Gohel, who had quit the Congress after the Rajya Sabha elections in August last year, returned to the party fold after a short inning with the ruling BJP. Gohel's return was minutes after senior Congress leader Kunvarji Bavaliya resigned as MLA and quit the party. Both of them belong to the influential Koli community.

Gohel, who was elected to the assembly from Jasdan assembly seat in Rajkot in 2012, was welcomed to the Congress by the party's state unit president Amit Chavda, and leader of opposition Paresh Dhanani.

Gohel was among the two Congress MLAs who had cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha elections in August, which saw senior party leader Ahmed Patel just scraping through. He had joined BJP along with other former Congress MLAs. Gohel was believed to be unhappy with BJP following denial of ticket to contest the 2017 assembly elections.

It is believed that the Congress will field him as its candidate from Jasdan seat, which fell vacant following Bavaliya's resignation as MLA today. He is likely to face-off against Bavaliya, who will have to get elected to the assembly within six months as per Constitutional provisions.

State Congress president Amit Chavda said the Congress party had given a lot to Bavaliya, who was elected as MLA five times, once as MP, and was also the party's working president.