The Bharatiya Janata Party's election in-charge in Gujarat Arun Jaitley on Monday said that rebels' move to quit the party would not affect the party's performance in the Assembly elections.
"People like Suresh Mehta have lost relevance. After having followed an ideology for such a long time, if they now flirt with the Congress, what credibility will they have," he asked when reporters questioned him about the former chief minister's plan to quit the party.
The BJP would be unaffected by rebels quitting the party, Jaitley added.
"Keshubhai Patel is our senior leader and I am confident that he will not leave the party," Jaitley said about Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's detractor who is leading the rebel movement.
Jaitley, who is on a two-day visit to the state, held meetings with party leaders here to form election strategy, BJP sources added.