Another setback for Congress in Gujarat as MLA Chavda resigns, likely to join BJP

Last month, first-time Congress MLA Chirag Patel, who represented Khambhat Assembly seat in Anand district had also quit the grand old party.

Ahmedabad: In yet another setback for Gujarat Congress ahead of Lok Sabha election, a senior party leader CJ Chavda resigned as legislator on Friday, reducing the party's tally to 15 in the house of 182. 

In the December 2022 election, the party had won only 17 seats, its worst tally ever.

Chavda, a member of Legislative Assembly from Vijapura constituency in Mehsana, tendered his resignation to speaker Shankar Chaudhary.

Chavda is reported to be joining ruling BJP in coming days. After resignation he praised prime minister Narendra Modi for taking the country on the path of "spirituality" and criticised Congress leaders to make unsavoury statements against Ram Mandir instead of directly or indirectly supporting it.

Earlier, on December 19, first-time Congress MLA Chirag Patel, who represented Khambhat Assembly seat in Anand district, resigned from the Assembly. While criticising the "working style" of Congress party, Patel alleged that he was resigning since the party was suffering from "groupism". 

Congress sources said that Chavda had joined Congress with former chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela. They said that Chavda was deputy collector who took voluntary retirement to join politics with Vaghela. 

Manish Doshi, spokesperson of Gujarat Congress, criticised the move while saying that "it was part of headline management" of BJP to cover the tragic incident in Vadodara where 13 children and two teachers drowned after a boat carrying them capsized.