Maverick Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor, his protégé quit after cross-voting for BJP

Gandhinagar: Rebel Congress legislators Alpesh Thakore and his protégé Dhavalsinh Jhala resigned as MLAs on Friday after cross-voting in favour of the BJP candidates in the Rajya Sabha by-elections, which were held earlier in the day.
Thakor and Jhala had quit all posts in the Congress in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections in April, alleging ill-treatment by the party leadership.
With their votes, the BJP got two more than its strength of 100 MLAs, besides three others — one of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and two of Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), thus polling 105 for its candidates, Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and OBC Cell member Jugalkishore Thakor.
After cross-voting by Thakor and Jhala, Congress got 69 votes besides one of Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani.
Giving clear indications, Alpesh Thakor said: “I have given my vote to a honest national leadership that wants to take the country to new heights. I went by my conscience.” The victory of the BJP candidates against Congress’ Chandrika Chudasama and Gaurav Pandya was a foregone conclusion, on the basis of the party’s own strength in the House of 182.