Gujarat election: Narhari Amin may quit Cong after being denied ticket

The Congress on Saturday appeared to have failed mollify its sulking senior leader from Gujarat Narhari Amin who has threatened not to campaign for party candidates on being refused nomination for coming assembly elections.

Congress leader and Union Minister Rajiv Shukla flew to Ahmedabad from Delhi on Saturday to meet Amin.

There was no official side from either side as to what transpired in the meeting.

Shukla only said, "Amin is a very strong leader of Gujarat. I have talked to him but will not reveal it."

However, sources said Amin told Shukla that he would not work for the party in any way.

Amin has emerged as a rallying point for Congress leaders who have not been given tickets, sources added, saying many of them have extended support to him.

Amin, an influential Patel community leader, had sought ticket from Gandhinagar South but the party stuck to its policy that it would not give ticket to those who have lost two elections consecutively.

Amin later told reporters, "We have organised a meeting of my supporters and other Congress leaders tomorrow (on Sunday)...after discussion, we will decide future course of action."

"I was the one who was working for the last one year to give a boost to the Congress in its fight against the BJP in the state. But the state leaders and the high command, in a bid to cut me down to size, denied ticket to me," Amin said.

"All the other criteria for ticket distribution, like not giving tickets to those who have lost elections with a margin of more than 15,000, those who want to change constituency, etc were relaxed. But in my case there was no relaxation", he added.

His supporters submitted their resignation from party posts to Gujarat Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia on Saturday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to woo Amin with the party's vice-president Purshottam Rupala openly inviting Amin to cross over.