{{short description|Indian politician}} {{Use Indian English|date=January 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder | name = Alpesh Thakor | birth_date = | birth_place = Endala, Gujarat, India | spouse = Kiran Thakor | office = Member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly | term_start = 8 December 2022 | constituency = Gandhinagar South | predecessor = Shambhuji Thakor | term_start1 = 18 December 2017 | term_end1 = 24 October 2019 |predecessor1=Nagarji Thakor |successor1=Reghubhai Desai | constituency1 = Radhanpur<ref name="alpeshwin">{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/gujarat-verdict-alpesh-thakor-wins-in-radhanpur/articleshow/62115335.cms|title=Alpesh Thakor wins in Radhanpur|date=18 December 2017|work=The Times of India}}</ref> | party = Bharatiya Janata Party | caption = | image = }} '''Alpesh Thakor''' is a politician from Gujarat, India. He is a member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly from Gandhinagar South. He was earlier a member representing Radhanpur (2017–2019). Formerly associated with the Indian National Congress, 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<ref>{{cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/congress-rebel-a-challenge-for-alpesh-thakor-in-radhanpur/articleshow/62063322.cms|title=Congress rebel a challenge for Alpesh Thakor in Radhanpur|author=evonomic times|newspaper=The Economic Times|date=13 December 2017}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://deshgujarat.com/2017/10/21/alpesh-thakor-meets-rahul-announces-to-join-congress-on-october-23-likely-to-contest-election-from-vav-against-shankar-chaudhary/|title=Alpesh Thakor announces to join Congress on October 23|author=Desh Gujarat|date=21 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indianexpress.com/elections/gujarat-assembly-elections-2017/gujarat-elections-will-join-congress-in-presence-of-rahul-gandhi-says-obc-leader-alpesh-thakor-4900352/lite/|title="Will join Congress in presence of Rahul Gandhi" says OBC leader Alpesh Thakor|work=The Indian Express|date=21 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thewire.in/200121/alpesh-thakor-interview-congress-gujarat-elections/|title=Gujarat Polls Not About Caste Dynamics, But People's Struggle Against the BJP: Alpesh Thakor|access-date=28 November 2017|work=The Wire}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/state/gujarat/ahmedabad/alpesh-thakor-supported-hardik-on-reservation/articleshow/61753282.cms|title=आरक्षण पर अल्पेश ठाकोर ने किया हार्दिक पटेल का समर्थन|access-date=28 November 2017|author=Navbharat Times(in Hindi)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://scroll.in/article/858080/uniting-against-common-enemy-bjp-hardik-patel-and-jignesh-mevani-to-address-joint-rally-on-dec-6|title=Uniting against 'common enemy' BJP, Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mevani to address joint rally on Dec 6|access-date=28 November 2017}}</ref>
== Early career == === Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena === Thakor founded the Kshatriya Thakor Sena in 2011. In 2016, he floated a movement to rid the members of his community from liquor addiction. He has also demanded stricter laws against illegal alcohol trade in Gujarat.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}} The Kshatriya Thakor Sena has around 700,000 members as of October 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pressreader.com/india/business-standard/20171030/281943133139695|title=Caste movement joins mainstream politics in Gujarat|work=Business Standard|date=17 October 2017}}</ref> Rameshji Thakor, the former state vice-president of the Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena, split from Alpesh Thakor to form his own outfit, the Royal Kshatriya Thakor Sena, in 2013 and was elected president of that outfit.<ref name="sandesh.com">{{cite web|url=https://sandesh.com/opportunist-alpesh-thakor-who-betrayed-the-society-saw-his-status-in-limbdi/|title=સમાજ સાથે ગદ્દારી કરનારા તકવાદી અલ્પેશ ઠાકોરને લીંબડીમાં તેની હેસિયત દેખાડાઈ, સભામાં ફિયાસ્કો થયો}}</ref>
==== 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'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/give-reservation-to-all-take-it-to-100-says-obc-leader-alpesh-thakor/|title=Give reservation to all, take it to 100%, says OBC leader Alpesh Thakor|access-date=28 November 2017|work=The Indian Express|date=3 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/patel-quota-protests-new-leaders-emerge-on-gujarats-political-arena-1219871|title=Patel Quota Protests: New Leaders Emerge on Gujarat's Political Arena|access-date=28 November 2017|publisher=NDTV}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/rein-in-hardik-patels-agitation-within-15-days-obc-leader-alpesh-thakor-warns-government/articleshow/49444291.cms|title=Rein in Hardik Patel's agitation within 15 days, OBC leader Alpesh Thakor warns government|access-date=28 November 2017|work=The Economic Times}}</ref> Thakor was arrested in September 2015 along with many others for organizing a meeting of all OBC communities in Mehsana district.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://deshgujarat.com/2015/09/23/39-including-obc-ekta-manch-convener-alpesh-thakor-booked/|title=39 including OBC Ekta Manch convener Alpesh Thakor booked|access-date=28 November 2017|author = Desh Gujarat|date=23 September 2015}}</ref>
== Political career == On 23 October 2017, Thakor joined the Indian National Congress party.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiatvnews.com/politics/national-gujarat-polls-obc-leader-alpesh-thakor-meets-rahul-gandhi-to-join-congress-on-oct-23-407723|title=Gujarat polls: OBC leader Alpesh Thakor meets Rahul Gandhi to join Congress on 23 Oct|date=23 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/gujarat-assembly-election-2017-alpesh-thakor-congress-obc-st-and-st-ekta-manch-1068388-2017-10-21|title=Gujarat Assembly election 2017: Alpesh Thakor announces he will join Congress on Oct 23|date=21 October 2017|work= India Today}}</ref> He contested and won from Radhanpur constituency in the 2017 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election.<ref name="alpeshwin"/> He had demanded the justice for a minor rape survivor in October 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor denies involvement in violence over Sabarkantha rape |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/oct/07/congress-mla-alpesh-thakor-denies-involvement-in-violence-over-sabarkantha-rape-1882351.html |access-date=2018-10-08 |work=The New Indian Express}}</ref> 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<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/hundreds-of-up-bihar-migrants-flee-gujarat-after-rape-backlash-triggers-attacks-1901445.html|title=UP, Bihar Migrants Flee Gujarat After 'Rape Backlash' Triggers Attacks; 342 Arrested|last=Sharon|first=Meghdoot|date=2018-10-07|work=News18|access-date=2018-10-08}}</ref> and joined Bharatiya Janata Party on 18 July 2019.<ref>[https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/alpesh-thakor-another-former-congress-lawmaker-join-bjp-in-gujarat-2071741 Alpesh Thakor, Another Former Congress Lawmaker Join BJP In Gujarat]</ref> He contested legislative assembly bypoll from Radhanpur in October 2019 and lost by margin of 3500 votes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/gujarat-bypolls-congress-turncoats-alpesh-thakor-trailing-by-4000-votes/article29783735.ece|title=Gujarat bypolls: Congress turncoat Alpesh Thakor trailing by 4000 votes|date=2019-10-23|website=Business Line|url-status=live|access-date=2019-10-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024061315/https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/gujarat-bypolls-congress-turncoats-alpesh-thakor-trailing-by-4000-votes/article29783735.ece |archive-date=24 October 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/story/alpesh-thakor-loses-gujarat-bypolls-1612560-2019-10-24|title=Gujarat bypolls: Alpesh Thakor, who defected to BJP, loses from Radhapur|agency=Press Trust of India|date=October 24, 2019|website=India Today|language=en|access-date=2019-10-24}}</ref> In the 2022 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election, he contested from Gandhinagar South and won by a margin of 43,064 votes.
== Personal life ==
He married Kiran, a Trivedi Brahmin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://khabarchhe.com/news/love-story-of-alpesh-thakor-he-married-his-college-friend|title = અલ્પેશ ઠાકોરની લવસ્ટોરીઃ ભાગીને લગ્ન કરતા પપ્પા માર્યો હતો લાફો}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/alpesh-thakors-wife-joins-his-poll-campaign/articleshow/61953951.cms|title = Gujarat assembly polls: Alpesh Thakor's wife joins his poll campaign | Ahmedabad News - Times of India| website=The Times of India }}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thakor, Alpesh}} Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:Indian activists Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Gujarat Category:Activists from Gujarat Category:Gujarat MLAs 2017–2022 Category:Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Gujarat