In a major jolt to the Congress in Gujarat, its senior member and MLA from the Vijapur constituency, CJ Chavda resigned today (January 19). The move is seen as a prelude to Chavda's anticipated shift to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
His resignation was formally submitted to Shankar Chaudhary, the Speaker of the Gujarat State Assembly, at the latter's official residence in Gandhinagar.
Former Congress MLA CJ Chavda said, "I have resigned from Congress. I have worked in the Congress for 25 years. The reason is that when the people of the whole country are joyous because of the Pran Pratishtha at Ram Mandir and there is a wave of joy among the people, instead of being a part of that wave of joy, the approach that this party (Congress) has shown is the reason for being upset. We should support the works and policies of the two huge leaders of Gujarat PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. But I would not have been able to do that while being in Congress. Hence, I resigned."
This departure marks a notable reduction in the Congress's representation in the Gujarat Assembly, which now stands at 15 in the 182-seat legislature. Chavda's exit follows a similar move by Chirag Patel, the former Congress MLA from Khambhat, who also resigned and is rumoured to join the BJP soon.
Chavda, who has served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) twice, is a seasoned figure in the Congress party. He previously held the role of chief whip in the Assembly, representing the Gandhinagar North constituency. In the 2022 elections, he shifted his political battleground to Vijapur, located in Mehsana district.
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