Vadodara: The Congress was hit by rebellion in its ranks during elections for presidents and vice-presidents of district panchayats in Central Gujarat on Wednesday. The Congress lost control of Mahisagar and Dahod district panchayats to the BJP, while it managed to hold on to Vadodara despite some infighting.The BJP had gone all out to engineer rebellion in the Congress to secure majorities in the district panchayats of Central Gujarat. In this region, BJP was in power only in Panchmahal district but has now added Mahisagar and Dahod to its kitty.In Mahisagar, a change in guard was expected as district panchayat member Ratansinh Rathod, who was denied an assembly ticket by the Congress, had won as an independent and was supporting the BJP. Rathod and three others voted for the BJP in the polls held on Tuesday.BJP’s Manjula Khant and Kalavati Chauhan became president and vice-president respectively, by mustering 16 votes against the Congress’s 12.In Dahod, Congress members remained absent, giving the BJP a walkover that allowed Yogesh Parghi to become president and Indira Damor vice-president. In the 50-seat panchayat, the Congress had 26 seats and the BJP 24. As BJP panchayat member Bhavesh Katara joined the Congress ahead of the assembly polls and won from the Jhalod assembly seat, the Congress effectively had 27 members.Katara and nine others from the Congress remained absent for the polls, reducing the party’s strength to 17. Even these 17 members walked out in protest, alleging that others from their party had been abducted. Sources said Katara remained absent as the situation was hopeless for the Congress.Instead, he engineered defections in the Jhalod taluka panchayat to ensure the Congress wrested it from the BJP. Also, Katara’s membership was challenged as he had left the BJP after being elected to the panchayat on its ticket.The BJP tried to engineer defections in the Vadodara district panchayat, but was not successful. Congress member Ila Chauhan stayed put in the race for president despite not getting a mandate from the party. The BJP has 13 members in the panchayat and the support of one independent while the Congress has 22. BJP supported Chauhan and fielded Kamlesh Parmar for the post of vice president.With defections from the Congress, BJP candidates managed to get 17 votes but the Congress got 19 votes. Panna Bhatt was elected president and Mubarak Patel became vice president.The Congress retained the Anand and Chhota Udepur district panchayats. In Anand, Natwarsinh Mahida was elected president and Vinu Solanki vice president. Congress candidates Laxmi Bariya and Jaga Rathwa won the posts of president and vice-president in the Chhota Udepur panchayat.Rajpalsinh Jadav and Gopal Patel were elected uncontested as president and vice president of Panchmahal district panchayat.

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