The BJP has dominated Gujarat for over three decades and for party members, it is a prestige issue to hold some posts. Apparently, the urge to hold a post has led Rajkot’s Bakshi Panch Morcha, Vipul Makhela to allegedly tamper with his birth certificate and Aadhar Card to be eligible to become Rajkot Ward President. This triggered a stir within the local BJP, leading to calls for the suspension of Makhela from the party.
The controversy began when a fellow BJP member exposed the alleged forgery, claiming that Makhela had tampered with official documents to make himself appear younger. The BJP has a strict age limit for ward president candidates: 40 years, with an exception for those up to 45.
Makhela, who is 50, had reportedly altered his birth certificate and Aadhar card to reflect a birth year of 1980, rather than 1974, to meet the age requirement for the role.
This was uncovered after Rajkot’s election officer, Mayaben Kodnani, summoned Makhela to produce his original birth certificate.
An anonymous letter sent to the BJP office alleged that Makhela had conspired with Nilesh Jalu, a corporator for Ward No. 14, and Shailesh, the in-charge of Ward No. 7, to forge the documents in a bid to secure the presidency.
Kodnani also questioned Shailesh Hapalia, a long-time associate of Makhela, about his involvement in the alleged forgery. Although Hapalia denied knowing anything about the tampering, he did confirm that Makhela was certainly over 45 years old.
Rajkot City BJP president Mukesh Doshi emphasised that the election process was meant to ensure adherence to party rules and encourage fair competition. He condemned Makhela’s actions as a betrayal of the party’s values and assured that the leadership would take swift and appropriate action.
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