Out of Congress, Vaghela, 77, declares himself Gujarat CM candidate of new non-party outfit, claims "wide" support

By A Representative
On being ousted from the Congress for voting for BJP candidates for the Rajya Sabha Amit Shah and Balwantsinh Rajput, former Leader of Opposition Shankarsinh Vaghela, aged 77, has suddenly found that there is something fundamentally wrong with the Indian party system, and it has befallen upon him to reform it.
Addressing a crowded media conference, in which there were large number of his supporters, who were more than eager to take selfies of a politician who once was Gujarat BJP chief, Vaghela said, whether it was the BJP or the Congress, both depend on every decision on their respective high commands.
"Quite unlike the US, where primaries at the local level elect the presidential candidate, and the process runs for full one year, here even candidates who want to fight assembly polls are decided by the High Command. I want to end this undemocratic system", Vaghela, who talked with media persons in a VVIP government guest house, declared.
And how is he going to go about it? Vaghela, whose nine supporter MLAs have crossed over from the Congress to the BJP ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls, said, "I have decided not to form any party. Instead, I have decided to form a non-party political organization, Jan Vikalp, which would put up candidates that would be selected democratically, at the local level."
Ironically, despite the talk of democratizing the party political system, Vaghela declared himself as the chief ministerial candidate of his non-party political outfit. Reason? "We sponsored an online survey, which said that majority of people in Gujarat favour me as the chief minister of the state."
Asked to provide details of the survey, especially the percentage of other possible chief ministerial candidates supported by those surveyed, and who carried out the survey, Vaghela named a person, who, when traced, "slipped out" of the media conference. Even his closest supporters couldn't find him despite their "frantic effort."
Scotching rumours that he would join the BJP, Vaghela predicted, "Neither the BJP nor the Congress would win the forthcoming Gujarat assembly polls. Our survey clearly says this." Asked whether it would be a third front, an experiment that hasn't ever succeeded in Gujarat, Vaghela said, "It will succeed, it has succeeded in most other Indian states."
Asked whether he would tie up with the Aam Aadmi Party, which wants to fight the forthcoming Gujarat polls, scheduled for December, overturning its earlier decision not to fight elections but defeat the BJP, Vaghela said, "We are open, we will support good candidates in other parties."
Despite a barrage of questions, which saw him perspiring, Vaghela couldn't identify the type of political setup his political outfit would have. When asked whether his supporters, who those who quit as Congress MLAs, would join him back, he said, "Why should they? They had negotiated with the BJP for quite some time."
One of the MLAs who quit the Congress to join the BJP, which hasn't yet accepted him, is Vaghela's son, Mahendrasinh Vaghela. When asked whether he would join the non-party outfit, Vaghela replied, "You can ask him".
Pointing out that the "positive agenda" of his new outfit, which included seeking jobs for youth and better working conditions for women, when asked what did he have to say about the now trending campaign in Gujarat, "Vikas gando thayo cche" (development has gone made), he said, "I don't want to comment on negative thoughts."
He added, "We are not going to criticise individuals, whether Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Sonia Gandhi or Ahmed Patel. We will only raise issues."

Comments

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Labour unrest in Manesar trigger tensions: Recently enacted labour codes blamed

By A Representative A civil rights coalition has expressed concern over recent developments in the industrial hub of Manesar in Haryana, where a series of labour actions and police responses have drawn attention. A statement, released by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), said it stood in solidarity with workers in IMT Manesar and other parts of the country, while also alleging instances of police excess during ongoing unrest.

Search This Blog