Former Guj Cong MP Jagdish Thakor resigns from party positions

Ahmedabad, Sep 6(PTI) Former Congress MP from GujaratJagdish Thakor today resigned from all party positions owingto his differences with the party’s state leadership. However, Thakor will remain in the party as he has notresigned as a worker. Thakor, who represented Patan seat from 2009 to 2014 inLok Sabha, sent the resignation letter to Gujarat Congresschief Bharatsinh Solanki and Leader of Opposition in GujaratAssembly Shankersinh Vaghela. "I have resigned from all the posts (that) I was holdingin Congress. However, I have not resigned as party worker. Ihave conveyed my decision to Solanki and Vaghela through aletter containing reasons behind my decision," Thakor told PTIbut refused to share the contents of the letter. However, he openly expressed his displeasure about thefunctioning of the party in Gujarat. "When Solanki and Vaghela came to meet me after getting myresignation, I refused to meet them. I clearly told them thatI cannot work with them in the current situation," saidThakor, hinting at rift between him and the state partyleadership. Thakor was a member of party’s co-ordination committee andis considered as a soft-spoken leader having clout on Thakorcommunity, a decisive vote bank in north Gujarat. Though he was a sitting MP, Thakor stayed away fromcontesting 2014 Lok Sabha polls and worked for the Congress. Sources in the Congress claimed that Thakor wasunhappy with the party leadership over some booth and wardlevel appointments in north Gujarat ahead of 2017 polls. "Thakor was unhappy because he was not kept in loop whileappointing some local leaders in north Gujarat as part ofparty’s pre-poll exercise. He felt sidelined and ignored. Hemight be upset because the party did not select his supportersas potential candidates for 2017 polls," a Congress leadersaid. PTI PJT PD NRBKUNJMF