Gujarat polls likely before schedule, claims Congress

Ahmedabad, Aug 2: On a day Anandiben Patel offered to resign the post of Gujarat Chief Minister, state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki on Monday claimed there is a strong possibility of Assembly polls taking place ahead of its schedule.

Solanki asked his partymen to be ready for the elections. The Assembly polls are scheduled for December next year.

Giving his logic for the claim, Solanki said the BJP will try its best to save its face as the party will be defeated in the Assembly polls in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, which are scheduled to take before the Gujarat elections.

"I can see that BJP will face severe defeat in UP and Punjab, where polls are scheduled to take place few months before Gujarat's next year. Hence, as part of its face-saving exercise, BJP may not want to cloud their prospects in Gujarat with the defeats in north India," claimed Solanki.

"Therefore, it is highly possible that polls in Gujarat would take place simultaneously with Punjab and UP. I urge party workers and citizens to get ready for early polls. Our cadres need to pull their socks now and reach out to people. I appeal them to start their preparations by establishing direct contact with people," he said.

PTI