Alpesh Thakor

Alpesh Thakor is a politician from Gujarat, India. He was a member of Gujarat Legislative Assembly representing Radhanpur (2017–2019). Formerly associated with the Indian National Congress party, he joined Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019. He started his career as a social worker and political activist. He is a leader of the Koli Thakor[2] community in Gujarat. He founded the Gujarat Kshatriya-Thakor Sena as well as OBC, SC, ST Ekta Manch (OBC, SC, ST unity forum), a social platform to demand reservations for people of the respective communities, around which a movement took place in Gujarat shortly after the Patidar reservation agitation.[3][4][5][6][7]

Alpesh Thakor
Member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly
In office
December 2017 – 5 July 2019
ConstituencyRadhanpur[1]
Personal details
Born (1975-11-07) 7 November 1975
Endala, Gujarat, India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
Spouse(s)Kiran Thakor

Career

Social activism

Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena

Thakor founded the Kshatriya Thakor Sena in 2011. He has led many movements for the rights of the Thakor community in Gujarat. In 2016, he floated a movement to rid the members of his community from liquor addiction. He has also demanded stricter laws against illegal trading of alcoholic drinks in Gujarat. The Kshatriya Thakor Sena has around 700,000 members as of October 2017.[8]

OSS Ekta Manch

Thakor comes from the Thakor community in Gujarat. He rose to prominence and media attention after he launched a movement to counter the Patidar reservation agitation by Hardik Patel. He founded the OSS (OBC, SC, ST) Ekta Manch to unite all people of these communities for demanding reservation according to population of the particular community. He also said that the hidden motive behind the Patidar agitations is nothing but a gameplan to scrape the reservation system, and that his movement will counter it to 'protect their constitutional right'.[9][10][11] Thakor was arrested in September 2015 along with many others for organizing a meeting of all OBC communities in Mehsana district.[12]

Politics

On 23 October 2017, Thakor joined the Indian National Congress party.[13][14] He contested and won from Radhanpur constituency in the 2017 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election.[1] He had demanded the justice of a minor rape survivor in October 2018. The rape incident had triggered the attacks on the Hindi-speaking migrants in Gujarat later. On 9 April 2019 he quit the Indian National Congress[15][16] and joined Bharatiya Janata Party on 18 July 2019.[17] He contested legislative assembly bypoll from Radhanpur in October 2019 and lost by margin of 3500 votes.[18][19]

References
  1. Times of India (18 December 2017). "Alpesh Thakor wins in Radhanpur".
  2. evonomic times (13 December 2017). "Congress rebel a challenge for Alpesh Thakor in Radhanpur".
  3. Desh Gujarat. "Alpesh Thakor announces to join Congress on October 23".
  4. Indian Express. ""Will join Congress in presence of Rahul Gandhi" says OBC leader Alpesh Thakor".
  5. The Wire. "Gujarat Polls Not About Caste Dynamics, But People's Struggle Against the BJP: Alpesh Thakor". Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  6. Navbharat Times(in Hindi). "आरक्षण पर अल्पेश ठाकोर ने किया हार्दिक पटेल का समर्थन". Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  7. Scroll.in. "Uniting against 'common enemy' BJP, Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mevani to address joint rally on Dec 6". Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  8. Business Standard (17 October 2017). "Caste movement joins mainstream politics in Gujarat".
  9. The Indian Express. "Give reservation to all, take it to 100%, says OBC leader Alpesh Thakor". Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  10. NDTV. "Patel Quota Protests: New Leaders Emerge on Gujarat's Political Arena". Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  11. Economic Times. "Rein in Hardik Patel's agitation within 15 days, OBC leader Alpesh Thakor warns government". Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  12. Desh Gujarat. "39 including OBC Ekta Manch convener Alpesh Thakor booked". Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  13. India TV news (23 October 2017). "Gujarat polls: OBC leader Alpesh Thakor meets Rahul Gandhi to join Congress on Oct 23".
  14. India Today (21 October 2017). "Gujarat Assembly election 2017: Alpesh Thakor announces he will join Congress on Oct 23".
  15. Sharon, Meghdoot (7 October 2018). "UP, Bihar Migrants Flee Gujarat After 'Rape Backlash' Triggers Attacks; 342 Arrested". News18. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  16. "Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor denies involvement in violence over Sabarkantha rape". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  17. Alpesh Thakor, Another Former Congress Lawmaker Join BJP In Gujarat
  18. "Gujarat bypolls: Congress turncoat Alpesh Thakor trailing by 4000 votes". The Hindu Business Line. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  19. AhmedabadOctober 24, Press Trust of India; October 24, 2019UPDATED; Ist, 2019 17:50. "Gujarat bypolls: Alpesh Thakor, who defected to BJP, loses from Radhapur". India Today. Retrieved 24 October 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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