Vadodara: A month after the Congress, which has only seven elected members in the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), elected Chandrakant Shrivastava as its leader, a formal letter was issued regarding the appointment. Infighting had taken place in the party over the , with a section of party members objecting to the process. The Gujarat Congress had decided that it would hold elections for the post of the party leader in municipal corporations in the state.
The election for the party’s leader in the VMC was held at the party’s state headquarters in Ahmedabad on July 23. The system led to infighting ahead of the polls. The decision was initially opposed by three of the seven councillors, including the outgoing leader of the party in the VMC, Ami Ravat, and councillors Jaha Desai and Harish Patel.
All three are from the same ward. The trio had argued that this system would lead to schisms in the party. Ravat stayed away from the election, insisting that the party hold consultations and arrive at a consensus without polling.
Desai and Harish later decided to participate in the election at senior party leaders’ insistence. In an election that was a mere formality, veteran party leader Chandrakant Shrivastava won, even as Desai got the deputy party leader’s post. Sources said a section of party members continued to oppose the move.
The intense lobbying by this group ensured that a letter was not issued in favour of Shrivastava and Desai. Eventually, the letter was issue.