 "Eight JMC corporators quit Congress, join BJP")
This led to the Congress-ruled JMC losing the strength in the 51-member civic body.
Senior Congress leader and Deputy Mayor Girish Kotecha and standing committee chairman Bhagabhai Rada along with six corporators joined the BJP in the presence of senior saffron party leaders Vijay Rupani and Narhari Amin.
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"Junagadh Municipal Corporation was the only civic body in the state where Congress was in power and now eight corporators have quit Congress and joined BJP. The Congress has lost its strength in the civic body," said Rupani, while welcoming the leaders.
He, however, ruled out that BJP will seek for power in the JMC and said the civic body election is slated to be held next month and therefore, his party will not make any efforts to take power in the corporation.
"This was the result of our efforts to make the state Congress free," Rupani said.
Few more corporators and Congress leaders from Junagadh are willing to join BJP, he claimed adding that the saffron party is planning to organise a "mega-sammelan" to welcome them in next couple of days.
Girish Kotecha, who quit Congress after spending more than two-and-half decades, said Congress party has no decisive leadership in Gujarat.
"The workers in the party feel ignored and when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing good at the Centre, we decided to quit Congress for the development of Junagadh only," he said, adding that all the eight of them joined BJP without any condition.
"We joined BJP without any condition and some more leaders are willing to join BJP and we are planning to organise a mega-sammelan to welcome them," Kotecha said adding that state Chief Minister Anandiben Patel would also be invited for the function.