Eight seats in Gujarat will go to the November 3 bypolls, which have been necessitated by the resignation of Congress MLAs in the state.
There are 172 members at present in the 182-member Gujarat House, of which 103 are from the BJP, 65 from the Congress, two from the Bharatiya Tribal Party, one from the NCP and one Independent member.
A video has gone viral on social media before the end of the campaign on Sunday, causing a stir in political circles. The Gujarat Congress unit has claimed that the party's former MLA Soma Patel admitted to taking Rs 10 crore from BJP to tender his resignation. The claims have been made on the basis of a 'sting operation' conducted by the Congress in Gujarat.
The Congress has now released a 'sting operation' of its former MLA Somabhai Gandabhai Patel. In the video, Patel is heard saying that he resigned because he was paid by the BJP to do so. "Why would an MLA resign without any reason," Patel adds.
Former MLA from Gujarat's Surendranagar, Somabhai Gandabhai Patel goes on to claim that no MLA was given more than Rs 10 crore. Some have been given tickets to contest while others have been paid, Patel can be heard saying in the 'sting operation'.