Party has asked us to support BJP tomorrow for RS elections: Kandhal Jadeja, NCP #Gujarat MLA https://t.co/7rSO1kmI6v — ANI (@ANI_news) 1502117798000AHMEDABAD: Giving some anxious moments to the the Congress on the eve of Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat, NCP MLA Kandhal Jadeja on Monday claimed the party high command has decided to support BJP candidate Balvantsinh Rajput.MP Supriya Sule, daughter of the party founder Sharad Pawar, however, said that NCP MLAs in Gujarat would back the Congress.The NCP has two MLAs in Gujarat — Kandhal Jadeja and Jayant Patel, its state unit president.Jadeja told reporters in Gandhinagar that the party has asked both of them to give their first preference votes to Rajput. "As per our party's directive, we have to give our vote to BJP's Balvantsinh Rajput. He will be our first preference," said Kandhal, who has openly admitted in the past that he was very close to senior leader Shankersinh Vaghela, who recently quit the Congress. "I just received a phone call from my party leaders who asked me to vote for Rajput," said Jadeja.Jayant Patel and NCP's in-charge for Gujarat, Praful Patel, were not available for comments.Asked to comment on reports that the party MLAs have been asked to vote for BJP, Sule said, "To the best of my knowledge it's Congress (that NCP MLAs would vote for). "Apart from these 44 (Congress) legislators, two of NCP, one of JD-U would give their vote for me," he had said.Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, needs 45 votes to win.

Source: Times of India August 07, 2017 16:03 UTC