In another Setback to Congress in Gujarat, its Lawmaker Jawahar Chavda resigned as MLA ahead of the Lok Sabha Polls. Chavda later in the day joined Bhartiya Janta Party. With his exit party’s strength in the assembly will get down to 73 in the 183 member assembly of the state. His exit came months after another Congress Legislator Asha Patel announced her disassociation from Rahul Gandhi led party.
Gujarat: Congress MLA Jawahar Chavda who had submitted resignation to the assembly speaker earlier today, joins BJP in Gandhinagar pic.twitter.com/I7UEZaBQm8
— ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2019
Jawahar Chavda’s exit came days ahead of Congress Working Committee Meeting that is slated for March 12. Party’s highest Decision making Body will be held in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bastion Gujarat Ahmedabad. However, this is the first time after 1961 that CWC is taking place in Gujarat.
More than 60 Top Leaders including Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Manmohan Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge and other top Brass of the party would participate in the highest decision making body meet.
Chavda after submitting his resignation to the Assembly Speaker said ‘After lots of deliberations, I came to a conclusion that it is very important to be with a ruling party to serve the society and your people. That is the reason I have Decided to Change my ‘outfit’.
Jawahar Chavda who is an influential leader from Ahir Community won Assembly Elections four times. He has represented Manavadar seat in Junagadh district of the state and make it to the Gujarat Assembly in – 1990, 2007, 2012 and 2017.
Prior to Jawahar Chavda, Kunvarji Bavalia has resigned from the party last year. Later in December 2018, Congress rebel turned BJP candidate Kunvarji Balavliya registered a comfortable victory from Jasdan Assembly in Rajkot District. He defeated his nearest rival Congress nominee Avsar Nakiya with around 20, 000 votes.
He was later given a Cabinet berth in Vijay Rupani‘s State Government. Kunvarji Bavalia had won from the Jasdan seat five times in the past as the Congress candidate – in 1995, 1998, 2002, 2007 and 2017.
READ: BJP wins Jasdan assembly by-poll in Gujarat, PM Modi thanks people
Last month on February, first-time Lawmaker Asha Patel resigned as the MLA, party and later joined Saffron Party in the State. She had in 2017 Gujarat Assembly Polls elected from Unjha Seat of Mehsana District.
In a letter to Congress President, Patel said that she has been sidelined and has been ignored by the leadership.
The Congress had in 2017 Gujarat Assembly Elections won 77 seats While Bhartiya Janta Party won 99 seats with 49.1 per cent votes.
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