Daijiworld Media Network - Rajkot
Rajkot, Oct 22: Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Jetha Dana Solanki rejoined the Congress on Thursday, ahead of the 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections, citing public grievances and difficulties faced by farmers and residents in Kodinar.
Solanki was welcomed into the party by Congress Gujarat in-charge Randeep Surjewala in Rajkot. State Congress president and other senior party leaders were also present.
Explaining his decision, Solanki alleged that residents of Kodinar were facing harassment from BJP leaders Dinu Bogha Solanki and Shiva Solanki, making it difficult for them to get their work done.
“Although I am not personally being harassed, the people are facing difficulties and are being troubled. Their work is not getting done,” he said, adding that his return was driven by the concerns of ordinary citizens rather than personal interests.
Solanki said local residents and leaders had urged him to rejoin the Congress. He added that he had taken the decision out of respect for the sentiments of the people in the region and without any prior commitments.
He also highlighted the economic difficulties faced by farmers, particularly the rising costs of seeds and fertilisers. Solanki alleged that Kodinar lacked essential facilities and claimed that institutions established by earlier generations had been transferred to a private company without consulting local residents.
The allegations against the BJP leaders and claims regarding the transfer of institutions could not be independently verified. The account did not include responses from the leaders named by Solanki.
Solanki had joined the BJP and won the Kodinar Assembly seat in 2012, later serving as a Parliamentary Secretary. In 2017, he resigned as BJP MLA and relinquished his other positions, triggering speculation about his possible return to the Congress.
His re-entry into the opposition party brings Kodinar in the Saurashtra region into focus as political activity gathers pace ahead of the 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections.