AAP faces setback as Gujarat MLA resigns, intends to join BJP

Ahmedabad: Bhupendra Bhayani, one of the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) five MLAs in Gujarat, announced his resignation on Wednesday and declared his intention to join the BJP shortly.

With Bhayani's departure, the AAP's representation in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly now stands at just four MLAs.

In his statement following the resignation, he said: "Today, there is no post of even Leader of Opposition. And therefore, nobody to raise pending issues in Gujarat. I want to do development work for the people and my constituency. And therefore, I have resigned."

Bhayani, elected from the Visavadar constituency in Junagarh district, made the surprising move barely a year after the Assembly elections.

In December 2022, he organised a public meeting in his native village of Bhesan, Junagadh, to dispel rumors of his defection to the BJP.

Bhayani formally tendered his resignation to Speaker Shankar Chaudhary within the premises of the Gujarat Assembly.