New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) Former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela on Sunday said there is an anti-BJP atmosphere in the state, but the Congress does not look serious about the upcoming assembly elections as it has made a junior leader the state in-charge.

"The Congress leadership has to show interest. Is there no big leader in the party, who can sit in Gujarat? No one is reaching out to take the benefit that Congress should take," he said.

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"Congress should have made a senior leader in-charge of Gujarat. Raghu Sharma is a junior. It seems that the party is not serious about the state assembly elections. If the prime minister visits Gujarat 10 times, then Rahul Gandhi should visit the state at least twice," Vaghela added.

The veteran leader has also shown interest in returning to the Indian National Congress (INC).

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He told PTI that he may rejoin the party if Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi say so before the schedule for the state assembly elections is announced.

The Election Commission on Friday announced the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Election Schedule. The schedule for the Gujarat Assembly elections will be announced in the next few days.

In Gujarat, BJP has been in power for the last 27 years.

When asked about one of his recent statements indicating a return to the Congress, the 82-year-old Vaghela said, "I said if the party, Sonia ji and Rahul ji are interested, then there will be a talk. I have said it as a wish. If they meet me, it will be a matter of what is on their mind and what I want to say."

He said he has spoken to Congress' Gujarat in-charge Raghu Sharma, senior leader Bharat Singh Solanki and some other party leaders and they all are interested in his return to the party.

"The decision has to be taken by the high command," he added.

Vaghela, who was the textiles minister in the first Manmohan Singh-led government, said, "If I am asked to join the party after the elections have been announced then I am not going to go. Elections take time. If you want to deliver results, you have to do homework."

Asked whether he can join the party if Gandhis ask him before the election schedule is announced, he said, "Absolutely. If they call, I will go to Delhi, talk to them and make a decision."

"I cannot plead to join back as there is nothing for me to take, but only to give," he added.

Once a member of the Jan Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vaghela joined the Congress in 1998 and left it in July 2017. He formed the 'Praja Shakti Democratic Party' this August.

When asked about the impact of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state, the former CM said the party's impact can only be seen in the campaign and not on the ground.

"The election commission should ask such parties to mention their poll promises in manifestos and if they fail to deliver on them, then their recognition should be cancelled," he said.

He also alleged that the BJP is once again campaigning in Gujarat with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the centre as it has nothing to show in terms of work.

Vaghela also said if he does not join Congress before the polls and his party is not allotted the election symbol, he will distance himself from this election.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)