Former Gujarat Chief Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela Likely To Rejoin Congress

Former Gujarat Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela is likely to rejoin the Congress. Sources within the party told NDTV that Vaghela, 86, has expressed interest in returning to the organisation. The state unit of the Gujarat Congress has already given its go-ahead for his return, though a final approval is pending with the party's central command.

The Gujarat Congress unit wants Vaghela to join as soon as possible, with local leaders planning to deploy him as a star campaigner for the upcoming Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation elections.

When asked about it, senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil told NDTV to wait and watch, stating that everyone will get the right answer at the right time.

Vaghela has a long history in Gujarat politics. He started his career with the Jana Sangh and later became a founder-builder for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state alongside leaders like Keshubhai Patel and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Following internal disagreements, he broke away from the BJP in 1996 and formed his own party, the Rashtriya Janata Party.

He served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 1996 to 1997 with support from the Congress before merging his party with the Congress in 1998. Over the next two decades with the Congress, he served as a Union Cabinet Minister for Textiles in the UPA government and as the Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly. He ended his ties with the Congress in 2017.

If the Congress high command gives its clearance, Vaghela's return will mark another shift in his career.

The Gujarat Congress hopes to use his political experience and network for regional municipal elections and also upcoming Gujarat assembly elections. For now, both party workers and political observers are waiting for a final word from the central leadership.