Gujarat: Congress ready for elections, BJP staring at defeat, says Thakor

Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor on Monday said his party was ready for polls in the state even if it was held tomorrow morning.He claimed the BJP, which has ruled Gujarat for 27 years, was on the backfoot as different segments of society were against it over various issues.State polls are likely to be held in December this year.The BJP planned to hold elections early, thinking the Congress will not get time to prepare and will be caught napping.

Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor on Monday said his party was ready for polls in the state even if it was held ''tomorrow morning''.

He claimed the BJP, which has ruled Gujarat for 27 years, was on the backfoot as different segments of society were against it over various issues.

State polls are likely to be held in December this year.

''The BJP planned to hold elections early, thinking the Congress will not get time to prepare and will be caught napping. I had said this two months back that the Congress is ready for polls even if it is held tomorrow morning,'' Thakor said ahead of a meeting of north Gujarat leaders in Mehsana as part of poll preparations.

Thakor and other senior state, district and taluka-level leaders from north Gujarat region gathered on Monday to prepare strategies for the upcoming election for which the party has set a target of winning 125 seats in the 182-member Assembly.

Thakor said the BJP is staring at defeat and is on the backfoot as revealed from the recent announcement of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to cancel the controversial Par-Tapi-Narmada riverlink project after protests by tribals in south Gujarat.

''The BJP is going to be finished. The BJP had to cancel a project (Par-Tapi-Narmada riverlink project) in south Gujarat, and people from different groups are protesting over various issues related to education, unemployment, paper leak cases,'' he said.

Thakor said the BJP is preparing to invite national and world leaders to Gujarat to campaign for it in the upcoming polls, while the Congress is preparing in its own way to challenge the ruling party.

As part of preparations for the election, meetings of local and state level leaders are being organised at zonal levels to review existing plans as well as make plans for the future, he said, adding that the Congress will mobilise public in north Gujarat region over government apathy towards its several rivers.

''Despite the presence of so many rivers in north Gujarat, there are very few check dams, which cause massive loss of water. We will plan agitations against the government on this issue,'' the senior Congress leader said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)