Vaghela urges Congress to field Gujarat 2027 candidates 6 months early
Synopsis
Nearly three decades into BJP rule in Gujarat, veteran former Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela — now in talks to rejoin the Congress — is prescribing a blunt fix: field candidates six months before the 2027 polls and rebuild the grassroots 'human touch' that he says the party has lost. He has even put his own party, the PSDP, on the table for a merger if talks succeed.
Key Takeaways
Former Gujarat CM Shankersinh Vaghela has called on the Congress to select 2027 Gujarat Assembly candidates at least six months before polling.
Vaghela is in active talks with Congress state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and Gujarat Congress President Amit Chavda over rejoining the party.
He has ruled out seeking any personal or organisational post, saying his only goal is defeating the BJP in Gujarat.
His party, the Praja Shakti Democratic Party (PSDP) , could be merged into the Congress — rather than brought in as an alliance partner — if talks succeed.
The BJP has governed Gujarat continuously since 1998 ; Vaghela served as Chief Minister from October 1996 to October 1997 with Congress support.
Vaghela left the Congress in July 2017 after a falling-out with the party leadership; a return would mark yet another major shift in his decades-long political journey.
Former Gujarat Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela on Thursday, 8 October 2026, called on the Congress to begin selecting its candidates for the 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections at least six months in advance, warning that last-minute ticket distribution has repeatedly cost the party its chance to unseat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has governed the state continuously since 1998. Vaghela, currently in discussions with senior Congress leaders over a possible return to the party, made the remarks in Gandhinagar.
The Six-Month Formula
Vaghela argued that early candidate selection is the single most critical operational change the Congress must make ahead of 2027. 'I am saying at least six months should be given to a candidate,' he said, explaining that this lead time would reduce last-minute scrambles for tickets and allow prospective nominees to embed themselves in their Assembly constituencies well before polling.
He stressed that a candidate must be a constant presence in voters' lives — not just a face that appears during election season. A voter, he said, should be able to recall a candidate who stood by them during a medical emergency, helped with a child's education, or supported a family in distress. 'Public life has a lack of human touch,' he observed, framing grassroots empathy as the core deficit that the Congress must address.
Talks With Congress Leadership
Vaghela confirmed that he has already held talks with Congress state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and other state leaders, describing the discussions as recent and constructive. Gujarat Congress President Amit Chavda subsequently confirmed that negotiations with Vaghela were underway.
Vaghela said there was no bitterness in his relationship with the Congress and that he was not seeking any organisational post or personal political position. His sole stated condition, he said, was the replacement of the BJP government in Gujarat. He also indicated that his current outfit, the Praja Shakti Democratic Party (PSDP), could be merged into the Congress — rather than brought in as an alliance partner — if talks concluded successfully, allowing both sides to campaign under a single party and symbol.
A Career That Has Crossed Every Party Line
Vaghela's political journey is one of the most turbulent in Gujarat's modern history. Born in Vasan in Gandhinagar district in 1940, he began his career with the Bharatiya Jana Sangh before rising to prominence in the BJP. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kapadvanj in 1977 and subsequently served in both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha from Gujarat. Parliament records indicate he served as Union Textiles Minister from 2004 to 2009.
In 1996, he broke with the BJP and formed the Rashtriya Janata Party. With Congress support, he was sworn in as Gujarat Chief Minister in October 1996, holding the office until October 1997. His party later merged with the Congress, and he went on to serve as Gujarat Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly. He exited the Congress in July 2017 following a falling-out with party leadership, and subsequently passed through the Jan Vikalp Morcha and the Nationalist Congress Party before formally announcing the PSDP in 2024.
Reading the 2027 Political Landscape
Despite leading his own party, Vaghela says the larger objective now is defeating a BJP that has held Gujarat uninterrupted for nearly three decades. He pointed to what he described as a leadership vacuum in the Congress caused by senior figures defecting to the BJP, and urged the party to identify and groom replacements before those vacancies become electoral liabilities.
'Workers should be promoted on the basis of trust and sustained work rather than merely being considered when an election approaches,' he said. He expressed confidence that, if the Congress sustains organisational momentum through the 2027 campaign, the BJP's long run in the state could come to an end. 'I think with full confidence that there will be no BJP government here,' he said. Whether his return to the Congress can translate that confidence into votes remains the central question as Gujarat's pre-election season begins to take shape.
Point of View
Rebuild human touch — is sound political advice, but it sidesteps the harder question: why has the Congress repeatedly failed to execute exactly this kind of long-range planning in Gujarat despite knowing it was needed? His own return, if it materialises, is more symbolically useful than organisationally transformative; the party's deficit in Gujarat is structural, not biographical. The PSDP merger offer is the more interesting signal — it suggests Vaghela has concluded that a separate platform is not viable and that the Congress tent, however leaky, remains the only credible opposition roof in the state. The BJP's unbroken run since 1998 has survived multiple Congress revivals; the 2027 test will be whether early candidate selection alone can compensate for nearly three decades of organisational erosion.
NationPress
8 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Shankersinh Vaghela say about the Congress and the 2027 Gujarat elections?
Vaghela said the Congress can defeat the BJP in Gujarat only if it selects candidates at least six months before the 2027 Assembly elections and rebuilds sustained grassroots connections with voters. He argued that last-minute ticket distribution has repeatedly weakened the party's electoral performance in the state.
Is Shankersinh Vaghela rejoining the Congress?
Vaghela is currently in talks with senior Congress leaders, including state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, over a possible return to the party he left in July 2017. Gujarat Congress President Amit Chavda has confirmed that discussions are underway, though no formal agreement has been announced.
What are Vaghela's conditions for rejoining the Congress?
Vaghela has stated that his only condition is the replacement of the BJP government in Gujarat. He has ruled out seeking any organisational or personal political post, and has indicated his Praja Shakti Democratic Party could be merged into the Congress — rather than brought in as an alliance — if talks succeed.
Who is Shankersinh Vaghela and what is his political history?
Shankersinh Vaghela is a veteran Gujarat politician born in 1940 who served as Chief Minister of Gujarat from October 1996 to October 1997 with Congress support, after breaking from the BJP. He later served as Gujarat Congress President and Leader of Opposition before leaving the Congress in July 2017. He has since been associated with multiple political formations, most recently the Praja Shakti Democratic Party.
How long has the BJP governed Gujarat, and does the Congress have a realistic chance in 2027?
The BJP has governed Gujarat continuously since 1998 — nearly three decades. Vaghela believes the Congress has a realistic chance in 2027 if it begins preparing early and develops credible local leadership, but critics note that the party's organisational base in the state has weakened significantly over successive election cycles.
