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Ex-minister Bimal Shah, former MLA Anil Patel join Gujarat Congress

Former IAS officer Jagat Vasava and Surat district panchayat member Darshan Naik also joined the Congress.

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Bimal Shah at Congress HQ
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In a major boost to Congress, former state minister Bimal Shah, and another former MLA Anil Patel quit the BJP, and joined the opposition party on Monday.

Shah, who was sidelined in BJP for long, joined the opposition party along with his supporters at Gujarat Congress HQ in the presence of senior party leader Ahmed Patel, state Congress in charge Rajeev Satav, state party president Amit Chavda, and others.

Shah was elected to the assembly from Kapadvanj in Kheda in 1998 and 2002, and had served as minister of state for transport. However, he had lost in 2007, and was not given a ticket after that. He contested in 2017 elections as an independent, and though he stood third, division of votes led to defeat of the BJP nominee.

"I am joining the Congress as I want to work for people. BJP used to be a party with mission earlier, but has become a power-centric party now," Shah told reporters. He claimed that many in BJP were unhappy with the situation.

Anil Patel, the second leader who joined Congress, belongs to tribal community. He was elected as MLA from Bardoli seat in Surat on a Congress ticket in 2002. He quit the party after being denied a ticket in 2007, and joined BJP. However, he was also sidelined for long.

Former IAS officer Jagat Vasava and Surat district panchayat member Darshan Naik also joined the Congress. Naik was with Congress earlier, but was suspended at the time of elections.

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